convention to order. the convention will start tomorrow on tuesday, it will start at two o'clock. we will go until 11:00. at wednesday and thursday we will begin at 7:00 and go to a 11:00. we are trying to fit everything into three days that we planned for four days. we have to be sent to the four the number of people that are here -- sensitive to the number of people that are here. >> finally, on tuesday, who will be on the stage? >> my son, who is an aspiring opera singer, has been invited back by the campaign and the republican convention to sing the national anthem. we are quite excited. he has also joined the ranks of us journalists. he is producing for the first time as well. >> joining us, the executive producer of the republican national convention. thank you for being with us. >> my pleasure. >> let's go back to dan balz. we conclude our preview. we will have live coverage on tuesday. it will be a brief session. looking at the polls, the romney campaign saying, we are in this. we are still competitive. >> that is right. we have a poll which continues to show a close race. this is a competitive election. we are likely to see that until we get through the debate. the notion that somebody is going to get a big bounce this week or next week is something that is old fashioned. these conventions provide the opportunity for either side to get a big advantage. once we get through this week and next week, the race will still be where it is paid it is a pretty close race. a lot of battle ground states within the statistical margin of error. we will go into the fall the way we have been all summer. >> here is something that many people might feel as remarkable. you look at these polls, 43% to 45% for the president, the same for mitt romney. 8% or 9% of undecided voters. all of this effort been spent for a small portion of the electorate. >> i put it differently. there is a lot of money being spent. a lot of it is being done to mobilize the people who are already willing to vote for governor romney or president obama. they want to make sure they stay energized. that is part of what we are saying. the focus is in all of the battleground states. the amount of money that is being spent on television advertising is record-breaking. there is a portion of those voters who are undecided who are swing voters. we did a study with the kaiser family foundation that we ran earlier this week. one of the things that distinguishes independents is that they do not like the fighting in washington. they do not like the gridlock. for governor romney and president obama, there is a challenge in calibrating the message and balancing the message. they have to feed the base red meat. at the same time, they have to talk about being able to get things done. being willing to work with the other side. been willing to compromise on some of the aspects to get a deal. you are going to be hearing a little bit of both from both of these candidates to try to get that small group of undecided. >> based on all of that, what does mitt romney need to do to move the needle? what can we expect from the president in north carolina? >> for governor romney, it is all about the economy. their case is that this election is about the president's performance in handling the economy. governor romney needs to make the case convincingly that the president has not done a good job. that the president has failed. and, that he has the tools and the know-how and the leadership to be able to do something about it. the president's goals based on everything we have seen is to disqualify the of the romney as an alternative. they know they have a difficult hand it to play on the economy. that is a given. the economy is in such a state, it neither guarantees defeat or guarantees reelection. they are in the nether world. he needs to say, you may not be entirely happy, but i do have a plan. it is quite different. what governor romney would do would be even worse. it would put us in a worse spot. >> dan balz, veteran reporter. covered every convention since 1980. chief correspondent for "the washington post." you can check out our convention hub. you can share video and follow the process. you can click on c-span.org. we have covered every minute of every convention since 1984. [captioning performed by national captioning institute] [captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2012] >> spend next weekend in ohio state capital, columbus. contentpan's local vehicles. go behind the scenes of ohio's largest city. browse the rare book collector and on c-span -- collection on c-span 2. on c-span 3, learn about all hyla's connection to our sixth president. -- learn about ohio's connection to our sixth president. >> ahead of the national republican convention this week, we are taking a look back at past convention speeches. former governor sarah pailin and senator john mccain, and later, at the canon in 1992. -- pat buchanan in 1992. [applause] [cheers and applause] >> thank you so much. thank you so much. [applause] thank you so much. [applause] thank you. thank you so much. thank you. [applause] audience: woo! [applause] >> thank you. [cheers and applause] mr. chairman, delegates, and fellow citizens, i am honored to be considered for the nomination for vice president of the united states. i accept the call to help our nominee for president to serve and defend america. i accept the challenge of a tough fight in this election, against confident opponents, at a crucial hour for our country. and i accept the privilege of serving with a man who has come through much harder missions and met far graver challenges and knows how tough fights are won -- the next president of the united states, john s. mccain. it was just a year ago when all the experts in washington counted out our nominee because he refused to hedge his commitment to the security of the country he loves. with their usual certitude, they told us that all was lost -- there was no hope for this candidate who said that he would rather lose an election than see his country lose a war. but the pollsters and pundits overlooked just one thing when they wrote him off. they overlooked the caliber of the man himself -- the determination, resolve, and sheer guts of senator john mccain. the voters knew better. and maybe that's because they realize there is a time for politics and a time for leadership, a time to campaign and a time to put our country first. our nominee for president is a true profile in courage, and people like that are hard to come by. uniforman who wore the of this country for 22 years, and refused to break faith with those troops in iraq who have now brought victory within sight. and as the mother of one of those troops, that is exactly the kind of man i want as commander in chief. i'm just one of many moms who'll say an extra prayer each night for our sons and daughters going into harm's way. our son track is 19. and one week from tomorrow -- september 11th -- he'll deploy to iraq with the army infantry in the service of his country. my nephew kasey also enlisted, and serves on a carrier in the persian gulf. my family is proud of both of them and of all the fine men and women serving the country in uniform. [applause] track is the eldest of our five children. in our family, it's two boys and three girls in between -- my strong and kind-hearted daughters bristol, willow, and piper. and in april, my husband todd and i welcomed our littlest one into the world, a perfectly beautiful baby boy named trig. from the inside, no family ever seems typical. that's how it is with us. our family has the same ups and downs as any other, the same challenges and the same joys. sometimes even the greatest joys bring challenge. and children with special needs inspire a special love. to the families of special-needs children all across this country, i have a message -- for years, you sought to make america a more welcoming place for your sons and daughters. i pledge to you that if we are elected, you will have a friend and advocate in the white house. todd is a story all by himself. he's a lifelong commercial fisherman, a production operator in the oil fields of alaska's north slope, a proud member of the united steel workers' union, and world champion snow machine racer. throw in his yup'ik eskimo ancestry, and it all makes for quite a package. we met in high school, and two decades and five children later he's still my guy. my mom and dad both worked at the elementary school in our small town. and among the many things i owe them is one simple lesson -- that this is america, and every woman can walk through every door of opportunity. my parents are here tonight, and i am so proud to be the daughter of chuck and sally heath. long ago, a young farmer and habber-dasher from missouri followed an unlikely path to the vice presidency. a writer observed, "we grow good people in our small towns, with honesty, sincerity, and dignity." i know just the kind of people that writer had in mind when he praised harry truman. i grew up with those people. they are the ones who do some of the hardest work in america, who grow our food, run our factories, and fight our wars. they love their country, in good times and bad, and they're always proud of america. i had the privilege of living most of my life in a small town. i was just your average hockey mom, and signed up for the pta because i wanted to make my kids' public education better. when i ran for city council, i didn't need focus groups and voter profiles because i knew those voters, and knew their families, too. before i became governor of the great state of alaska, i was mayor of my hometown. and since our opponents in this presidential election seem to look down on that experience, let me explain to them what the job involves. i guess a small-town mayor is sort of like a "community organizer," except that you have actual responsibilities. i might add that in small towns, we don't quite know what to make of a candidate who lavishes praise on working people when they are listening, and then talks about how bitterly they cling to their religion and guns when those people aren't listening. we tend to prefer candidates who don't talk about us one way in scranton and another way in san francisco. as for my running mate, you can be certain that wherever he goes, and whoever is listening, john mccain is the same man. i'm not a member of the permanent political establishment. and i've learned quickly, these past few days, that if you're not a member in good standing of the washington elite, then some in the media consider a candidate unqualified for that reason alone. but here's a little news flash for all those reporters and commentators -- i'm not going to washington to seek their good opinion -- i'm going to washington to serve the people of this country. americans expect us to go to washington for the right reasons, and not just to mingle with the right people. politics isn't just a game of clashing parties and competing interests. the right reason is to challenge the status quo, to serve the common good, and to leave this nation better than we found it. no one expects us to agree on everything. but we are expected to govern with integrity, good will, clear convictions, and a servant's heart. i pledge to all americans that i will carry myself in this spirit as vice president of the united states. this was the spirit that brought me to the governor's office, when i took on the old politics as usual in juneau, when i stood up to the special interests, the lobbyists, big oil companies, and the good ol' boys network. sudden and relentless reform never sits well with entrenched interests and power brokers. that's why true reform is so hard to achieve. but with the support of the citizens of alaska, we shook things up. and in short order we put the government of our state back on the side of the people. i came to office promising major ethics reform, to end the culture of self-dealing. and today, that ethics reform is the law. while i was at it, i got rid of a few things in the governor's office that i didn't believe our citizens should have to pay for. that luxury jet was over the top. i put it on ebay. i also drive myself to work. and i thought we could muddle through without the governor's personal chef -- although i've got to admit that sometimes my kids sure miss her. i came to office promising to control spending -- by request if possible and by veto if necessary. senator mccain also promises to use the power of veto in defense of the public interest -- and as a chief executive, i can assure you it works. our state budget is under control. we have a surplus. and i have protected the taxpayers by vetoing wasteful spending -- nearly half a billion dollars in vetoes. i suspended the state fuel tax, and championed reform to end the abuses of earmark spending by congress. i told the congress "thanks, but no thanks," for that bridge to nowhere. if our state wanted a bridge, we'd build it ourselves. when oil and gas prices went up dramatically, and filled up the state treasury, i sent a large share of that revenue back where it belonged -- directly to the people of alaska. and despite fierce opposition from oil company lobbyists, who kind of liked things the way they were, we broke their monopoly on power and resources. as governor, i insisted on competition and basic fairness to end their control of our state and return it to the people. i fought to bring about the largest private-sector infrastructure project in north american history. and when that deal was struck, we began a nearly $40 billion natural gas pipeline to help lead america to energy independence. that pipeline, when the last section is laid and its valves are opened, will lead america one step farther away from dependence on dangerous foreign powers that do not have our interests at heart. the stakes for our nation could not be higher. when a hurricane strikes in the gulf of mexico, this country should not be so dependent on imported oil that we are forced to draw from our strategic petroleum reserve. and families cannot throw away more and more of their paychecks on gas and heating oil. with russia wanting to control a vital pipeline in the caucasus, and to divide and intimidate our european allies by using energy as a weapon, we cannot leave ourselves at the mercy of foreign suppliers. to confront the threat that iran might seek to cut off nearly a fifth of world energy supplies or that terrorists might strike again at the abqaiq facility in saudi arabia or that venezuela might shut off its oil deliveries -- we americans need to produce more of our own oil and gas. and take it from a gal who knows the north slope of alaska -- we've got lots of both. our opponents say, again and again, that drilling will not solve all of america's energy problems -- as if we all didn't know that already. but the fact that drilling won't solve every problem is no excuse to do nothing at all. starting in january, in a mccain-palin administration, we're going to lay more pipelines, build more nuclear plants, create jobs with clean coal, and move forward on solar, wind, geothermal, and other alternative sources. we need american energy resources, brought to you by american ingenuity, and produced by american workers. i've noticed a pattern with our opponent. maybe you have, too. we've all heard his dramatic speeches before devoted followers. and there is much to like and admire about our opponent. but listening to him speak, it's easy to forget that this is a man who has authored two memoirs but not a single major law or reform -- not even in the state senate. this is a man who can give an entire speech about the wars america is fighting, and never use the word "victory" except when he's talking about his own campaign. but when the cloud of rhetoric has passed, when the roar of the crowd fades away, when the stadium lights go out, and those styrofoam greek columns are hauled back to some studio lot, what exactly is our opponent's plan? what does he actually seek to accomplish, after he's done turning back the waters and healing the planet? the answer is to make government bigger, take more of your money, give you more orders from washington, and to reduce the strength of america in a dangerous world. america needs more energy. our opponent is against producing it. victory in iraq is finally in sight. he wants to forfeit. terrorist states are seeking new-clear weapons without delay. he wants to meet them without preconditions. al qaeda terrorists still plot to inflict catastrophic harm on amera. he's worried that someone won't read them their rights? government is too big. he wants to grow it. congress spends too much. he promises more. taxes are too high. he wants to raise them. his tax increases are the fine print in his economic plan, and let me be specific. the democratic nominee for president supports plans to raise income taxes, raise payroll taxes, raise investment income taxes, raise the death tax, raise business taxes, and increase the tax burden on the american people by hundreds of billions of dollars. my sister heather and her husband have just built a service station that's now opened for business, like millions of others who run small businesses. how are they going to be any better off if taxes go up? or maybe you're trying to keep your job at a plant in michigan or ohio or create jobs with clean coal from pennsylvania or west virginia or keep a small farm in the family right here in minnesota. how are you going to be better off if our opponent adds a massive tax burden to the american economy? here's how i look at the choice americans face in this election. in politics, there are some candidates who use change to promote their careers. and then there are those, like john mccain, who use their careers to promote change. they're the ones whose names appear on laws and landmark reforms, not just on buttons and banners, or on self- designed presidential seals. among politicians, there is the idealism of high-flown speechmaking, in which crowds are stirringly summoned to support great things. and then there is the idealism of those leaders, like john mccain, who actually do great things. they're the ones who are good for more than talk, the ones we have always been able to count on to serve and defend america. senator mccain's record of actual achievement and reform helps explain why so many special interests, lobbyists, and comfortable committee chairmen in congress have fought the prospect of a mccain presidency -- from the primary election of 2000 to this very day. our nominee doesn't run with the washington herd. he's a man who's there to serve his country, and not just his party. a leader who's not looking for a fight, but is not afraid of one either. harry reid, the majority leader of the current do-nothing senate, not long ago summed up his feelings about our nominee. he said, quote, "i can't stand john mccain." ladies and gentlemen, perhaps no accolade we hear this week is better proof that we've chosen the right man. clearly, what the majority leader was driving at is that he can't stand up to john mccain. that is only one more reason to take the maverick of the senate and put him in the white house. my fellow citizens, the american presidency is not supposed to be a journey of "personal discovery." this world of threats and dangers is not just a community, and it doesn't just need an organizer. and though both senator obama and senator biden have been going on lately about how they are always, quote, "fighting for you," let us face the matter squarely. there is only one man in this election who has ever really fought for you, in places where winning means survival and defeat means death, and that man is john mccain. in our day, politicians have readily shared much lesser tales of adversity than the nightmare world in which this man, and others equally brave, served and suffered for their country. it's a long way from the fear and pain and squalor of a 6-by- 4 cell in hanoi to the oval office. but if senator mccain is elected president, that is the journey he will have made. it's the journey of an upright and honorable man, the kind of fellow whose name you will find on war memorials in small towns across this country, only he was among those who came home. to the most powerful office on earth, he would bring the compassion that comes from having once been powerless, the wisdom that comes even to the captives, by the grace of god, the special confidence of those who have seen evil, and seen how evil is overcome. a fellow prisoner of war, a man named tom moe of lancaster, ohio, recalls looking through a pin-hole in his cell door as lieutenant commander john mccain was led down the hallway, by the guards, day after day. as the story is told, "when mccain shuffled back from torturous interrogations, he would turn toward moe's door and flash a grin and thumbs up," as if to say, "we're going to pull through this." my fellow americans, that is the kind of man america needs to see us through these next four years. for a season, a gifted speaker can inspire with his words. for a lifetime, john mccain has inspired with his deeds. if character is the measure in this election, and hope the theme, and change the goal we share, then i ask you to join our cause. join our cause and help america elect a great man as the next president of the united states. thank you all, and may god bless america. [applause] [applause] [applause] [applause] >> thank you. [applause] >> don't you think we made the right choice for the next vice president of the united states? what a beautiful family. [applause] [cheers and applause] ♪ ♪ >> senator john mccain was the 2008 presidential nominee. the senator and his running mate would lose the november election to democratic senator barack obama and joe biden. [cheers and applause] >> thank you very much. [cheers and applause] 20 all very much. thank you. thank you. audience: u.s.a.! u.s.a.! u.s.a.! >> thank you. [cheers and applause] thank you. thank you. thank you. thank you. thank you all very much. thank you. tonight, i have a privilege given to few americans. the privilege of excepting our party's nomination for president of the united states. -- accepting our party's nomination for president of the united states. [cheers and applause] thank you. i accept it. audience: u.s.a.! u.s.a.! u.s.a.! >> i accept its with gratitude, humility, and confidence. in my life, no success has come without a good fight. this nomination was not any different. that is a tribute up -- to the can bits -- to the candidates who opposed me and wished to leave it to better days. their support is an honor that i will not forget. i am grateful to the president of the united states for leading us in these dark days following the worst attack -- [cheers and applause] -- the worst attack on american story -- on american soil in history. and to keep america safe from another attack many thought was inevitable. audience: u.s.a.! u.s.a.! u.s.a.! [cheers and applause] >> and to the first lady, laura blush. -- bush. i am grateful to the 41st president for the outstanding example -- and his pride for their acts standing example -- outstanding example. i am indebted to my wife and my children. [cheers and applause] the pleasures of family life can seem like a brief holiday, from the crowded calendar of our nation's business, but i have treasured them all the more. i cannot imagines a life without happiness you have given me. a lot of nice things were said about me tonight. in truth, my wife is more my inspiration than i am hers. [applause] her concern for those blessed less than we are, victims of land mines, children born in poverty with birth defects, show the measure of her humanity. i know she will make a great first lady. [cheers and applause] when i was growing up, my father was often at sea. the job of raising my brothers and sisters and me fell to my mother. life, her deep interest in theorld, a her believe thatarellen to use our otunities to make ourselvesfu our country. i wouldn't be here tonigut for the strength of h character. la and she doest wte to say this, but she's 9 years young. my heartfelt thanks to all of you who helped m win this nominati and stood by me wn i won't let youown. i w let you down. i won't let you down. [applause] to americans who have yet to decide t vote f tha you for your considerationnd the opportunity to win your trust. inte to earn it. [appuse] finally, a wor senator go at it -- we'll go at it over the next two mons. you knowt's the nature of this buss. therare big differences betweens, but you have my respect andy admiration. despite our differences, much morenites us than divides u we are fellow americans, and that's an associati that means more to me than any other. [applause] we're dedicated to the proposition that aeople are created equal and eed by our creator with inaliable rights. no country ever had a greater cause thanhand i wouldt be an american worthy of th name if i didn't r senat obama anis supporters for their achieveme but there going to win this election. [applause] af we have won, we're goi to reach o our hand to an willing paiot, make this government startking for you again and get this country back on the road to proerity peace. i know these are tough times for many of you. you're wor about -- audience: u.a.! s.a.! please -- please- plse. my friends --y dear friends se - please don't be diverted by the noind the static [applaus you know, i'm going to talk ericans want us to stop yellin each other, okay? [applause] these are toughimes for man you you are worried abouteeping yourob or finding a new. and you're suggling to pu od on the table. anstay in your ho. dience: u.s.a.! all youe asked of your government is to stand o your si and not in your. th's what intend to do. and on y side and fht for your re. [applause] >> i found just the right partne to help me shake up wain, , governor sarah pali. [appuse] governor sarah palin of the great state of alaska. [applause] >> and i want to thank every re and all over arica for the tremendous, wderful, warm reception yo gave her last ght. thk yoveryuch. she deservedt. what a great beginning you ow, e hasxecutive experience and a real record of she tackledrgy independence drun. e balanced a budget, cut taxes, and's taken on special inter. [appla she's reaed across the ais and aske republicans, democrats, and independents to serve in her administration. she's the wondeul mother o five chiren. [applause] e's helped run a small business, wked with herands and knows what it's like to worry about mortgage payments, healthcare, the cos gasoline and groceries. sh knowsherehe comes from, and she knows who sheks e stands up for whas right her to sit down.let anyone tell [applause] i am very proudhave introducedur next vice president to the country, but can't wait until introduce to shington. [applause] le me just offer a advance warninto old, big ending, do notng, me first counse crowd, change is coming. i'not in the habit of breaking my promises toy country, a neither is vernor plin, and when we tell you we're going to cnge washington and stop leaving our country's pblems for some unluckier generation to fix, you can count on it. [applause] and e got a record of doing just that, and the strenh, expeence, judgment, and backbone to keep our word to you. [applause] you well know, i have been call add maverk,om who -- someone who marches to the beat of h own dru sometimes it's meant as a complemen sometimes it's not. what itll mea is i derstand who i work for. i don't work for a special re i don't work f myself. workor you [applause] i fought corruption, and it 't matter if the culprits weemocrats or republicans. theyiolated their public trust, and they had to be held accountable. i fought the big spenders. i fought the big spenders in th parties who waste your moy on things you neither need nor want, and the first that com acrossy dk, i will veto it. will make themamou and you will know their names. [applause] wenot going to allow tha while you strug to buy groceries, fill your gas tank i fought get million dollar checks out of eions. i fought lobbyists who sle from indian tribes. ntagon. crooked deals in the fought to back cocompanies, drug companies, union bosses. [applause] i fought f the right sategy more tops in iraq when it wasn't the popular thing to do. [applause] when theundits said my campaign was finished, i said i wouldhere an election than see my count lose a w. [applause] thanksth leadership of a brilliant general, david petraeus, d the brave men and women who have the honor o mmanding. [applause] that's -- that strateg succeeded and it rcued us from a defeat that would have demoralizer militar risked wider war and threatened the security of all americans. [ause] i don't mind a good fight for reasons known only to god, i in my life, but i learned an important lesson along the way. in t end, it matters less that yanht. what you fightors the real test. [applause] i fight americans. i fight for you iht for bill and neeby from farmington hills michigan, who lost -- they l their real estate investments the badousi market. bill got a temporary job after he was o of work for seven months. sue works three jobs to help pay the jobs. i fight for jake and ty wemer ofrankli county, pennsylvan. jake works on a loading dock, coaches le league and raises money for theentally d psically disable tony is aoolteacher, working toward her masters ee. they have twoons. the youngest, luke, has been agnosed with autism. their lives should matter to peopl they elect to offi, and they matterme and they matter to y [applause] i fight forhe family of nnnn. mathew dd serving our country in i i wear h bracelet and think i inten to honor their sacrifice by making sur the country their son loved so well and never returned to remains safe from its enemies. [applause] i fight to restore the pride and principles of our party we were elected to change washingtond we let shington change us. we lost. we lost the trust of the aman people when some republicans gave in to the tetation corrun. we lost their trust when rather than reform government, both parties madt bigge we lost their tru when instead of freeing ourselves from a dangerous dependence on senator obama, passed another corporate welfare billor oil companies. we lost tir trust when we va our power over o ciples. we are going tohange that. [appla we're going to recover the people's trust by standing up again to t values americans admire the party of lincoln, roosevelt, and reagan going get back to basics. [applause] in this country, we believe everyone hasometng to contribute and dess the opportunity to reach t god given poten. from the boy who is descendents arrived he may fwer to the latina daughter of migrant workers, we are allod's childrnd we are all americans. [applause] we believe in lowaxes, spending dpline d open markets. wedge in rewardingd work and ri takers and letng people keep the fruits ofheir labor. rong defense, work, faith, service, a culture of life. [applause] peal responsibility, the rule of l and judges who dispense justice impartially and don't legislate from the bench. [applause] we believe in the values of communities. we believe in aovernment th unleashes the creivity and iniative ofmericans, government tt doesn't make your choices for you but works chces to make yourself. re [applause] i will keep tax low and them where i can. i win newkets to our goods and services. my opponent will close them. i will cut government spending. he will increase it. my tax cuts willreate job his tax increases will eliminate them. my healthcare plan wil make i ea for me ameri t find and keep good healthcare insurance. his pla willce small businesses to cuts, reduce waged force families into a system where a bureauc stands between you aour doctor. we all know keeping taxes low hes sml busse and create new job cuttinthe second highest business rate in the world will help eric companies compete and keep job from going overseas. [applause] dong the child tax exemption from $3500 to $5000 willrohe lives of millions of american families. [applause] reducing government speing and getting rid of failed programs will l youeep more of your own money to save, end, and invt as you see fit. [applause] opening newkets and prepg workers to compete in the world economy is essential to our future prosperity. know somef you have been left bind in the changing economy, and it often sees that your govert hasn'tven noticed. unemployed workers was designed for the economy of the 1950's. that's going to chaf my watch. [applause] my opponent promises tong back old jobs by wng away the global economy. 're going to help workers who have lost a job thaton't come back f a new one that won't goway. [applause] jobs ofoday. will use ourmuty colleges to help tr people for new oortunities in their communities. forkers in industries that been hardit we'll help ke a part of the difference and a tempory l paid one whil they receive retraining that will mel them fd secure newmployment at a decent wage. [applaus education is the civilights [appe] equal acces to public education has bee gained, b is the value of accesso a failingchool? [applause] we need -- we nee to shake up failedool bureaucra with competition, empower parents with choice -- [applause] qualified instructors, attract andeward good teachers and help bad teacher find another line of work. pplause] when aublic sl fai to meet its obligations to students, parents deserve a their children, and i intend to give it to them. [applause] some may choose better publi school. many will choose charter one. oice, an their children will have that opportun [applause] senator obama wants our schools to answer to unis and entrenchedurearats. i want schools to answer to pad sdent [applause] wh i'm president,y will. my fellow amens,hen i'm president we're g t embark on the most ambitious national prt in dades. we're going to stop sending $700 billi a year to countries that don'tike us much. [applause] we'll attack the pblem on every front. we'lproduce more energy at home. we will drill newells now. we'll dr them now. lause] my friends,e'll builde nuclear pow plants. we'll develop can c technology we'll inse the use of wind, , solar and natural gas. we'll encourage t development and use of flex fuel, hybrid and elecic automobil. pplause] senator obama thinks we can hieve energy independence withoure drig and without more nar power, but americans knowetter than that. [applause] we must use all resrces and develop all tecogies necess to rescue our economy from t damage caud by sing oil prices andtore e health of our plane [appe] my friends, it's an ambitio plans, but amecans are bitious byature, and we face greater challges. s for us to show the world again how americans lead. [applause] this great natural cauill creaillions of new jobs. many in industrs that will be the engof our future prosty. jobs that wil there when your cldren enter the work force. today - today the pspect of a betterld remains withi our reach, but we mustee the threats to peace and liberty i our time clearlynd face t as americansore us did, wi confidee, wisdom and reso we have dealt -- [applause] we have dealt aerious blow to alaeda in rect yrs, but they are not deated. and they will strike usgain if they can. remains the chief state sponsor of terrori and is on the path to acquiring nuclear weapons. russia's leaders, rich with oil wealth and corrupt with p have rejecd democratic ideals and the obligations of a responsible pow. they invaded a small democtic neighbor to gain more control over the world'sil suppl intimidate othereighrs and further their ambitions of reassembling the russian empire. the brave people of georgia need our solidarity and our prayers. [applause] as president i'll work to establh good rions with russiao we need fear or return to the cold war but we can't t ali eye to aggression and international lawlessns that threatens the peace and stability of e world and theecurity of the american people. i'm not afraid of t d, ppared for the [applause] i know howhe military works, what it can do, what it can do bett, an what it shouldn't do. i know howhe woror i kw t good and evil in it. now how to workith lrs who are our dref a freer, safer and more prosperous world and h to stand up tohoho don't. [applause] iw how to secure the peace. my friends, when i was five years old, a car pulled up in front ur hse, a navy ofr rold down the window and shouted at my father that the japanese had bombed pearl harbor i rarel saw my fatr ain for f years. my grandfather came home from that same war exhausted fro the burdens he had borne and in vietnam formed closest friendips of my life. sof e friends n came home with me. iate war. it'serrible beyond imagination. i'm running for pside to keep the country i love s and prevent other families from risking tir loved ones in as m family has. i willrawn all my experience with the world and its leaders and all the tools at our disposal, diplomatic, econic, military, and the foundation for a stable and enduring peace. lause] [applause] in america we change tngs that need to be chang. each generation makes its contribution to our greatness. e work that is oto dos ainly befores. we don need toearch fort. we need to changehe way governme does almost everything, from the way we protect our secur to the way we com in the world economy, from the way to respond to disasters, to t way we fuel transportation network, from the way we train our workers, to the way we educate ourld all these functiof vernme were desned before the rif the globble ecy. the information technoly revolutind the end of the cold war. ave toatch up to history. we have to change the way we do business in washington. [appuse] the constant partisan ranco tops us from sving it is a symptom.'t a cause. it's what happens when people go to washington to work for themsees and not for you. [applause] again and again i have worked fix problems tha need to be fixed. 's how i will govn as president. i will reach out hand to anyoneo help me get this country moving again. [applause] my friends, i have thecord and the scars tove it. senator obama doeot. [applause] instead of rejecting good ideas because wen'think of them first, let's use the best ideas from both sid. gets tre let's try sharing it. [applause] this amazing country can do i'll ask democrats and independents tove with me. mydministration willet a newtandd for transrency andccountability. [applaus gett things do forhe a ople who are cing on us, and i won't care whoets t credit. my friends, i have en an imperfect svant of country for many years, but i have been a servant, first, last and always. i have never -- i have never lived a day in good tim orad that i didn't thand for the plege. [applause] long agoomething ual the most valuableson of my e life. i was blessed by misfortune. i mean tha sincerely. i was blessed because i served in the company of heroe and i witnessed 1,000 acts courage and compassionndove. an october morning in the gulf i prepare for my 23rd mission over north vie. i hadn't any worry iouldn't come back safe and snd. i thought i wasou than anyone. i was pret independent then, to i liktod few rules and of it, but i did itor my own pleasure,y own pride. i dt think there w a cause that was more important than me. then i fou myself falling toward the middl of small lake in the city o hanoi with two broken arms, a broken leg, ann angr crowd waing to greet me. [laughr] i was dped in a d cell and left to die. i didn't feel so tough anymore. when they discovered my father was an admiral they took me to a hospital. th cout setyones properly so ey just slapped a cast o. wh i didn' get better, i was to 100 pounds, they put me in a cellith two other amans. i couldn't do anything. i couldn feed mylf. they did itor me. i was binni to learn the limits ofy selfish independence. those men saved my life. [applause] i was in solitary conment when mytaors offered to release me. ew why. if i went home they would use it as prop gand to demore my fellow prisoners. our code said we could only go hon the order of capture and there were men who had been shot down long before me. i thought abo it, though. i wasn't in gre shape. and i missed everything about americ but i turned itown. lot of prisoners had it much worse -- [alause] [applause] a lotf prinersad it a lot i had been mistreated before, but not as badly as many others. i always liked to strut le after i had been roughed up to show the other guywas tough enough to take it. but after a turned do their offer, they worked me over harderhan ever before. foa long ti. and theyke me. when they bught me back to my cell, was ht and aamed, and i didn't know how i could face myellow prisoners. thoodan in ce next door to me, my frien bob craner, saved me. thro taps on a wall, h told me i hadght as hard as i could. no man c always standlo then h told me t get back up d fight a for my count and for men i had the h to serve with because eve day they fought for me. [applause] when i was a prisoner in someone else's. loved it not just for the many comforts of life here. i loved it r its decent si, for its faith, t wisdom stice and gdness ofts people. i loved it because it was not just a place but an idea, a cause worth fighting for. i was never the same agn. i wasn't my own man anymore. i was my country's. [applause] . . >> i am not run for present because i think i am blessed. with such personal grace -- greatness tt history has anointed me to save our couny in its hour of nee [applause] myou save me. my country savede and i cannot save --orget it. i will fight for as long as i draw breath, so help me god. [applause] my frids, ifou find ult wi our country, make it a betterne. if you are disappointed wh the mistak of government, join it nks and work to correct them. and lest in our armed forces. come a teacher. run for public office. feed a hungryld teach and illiterate adults to read comfort the flicte defend the rightof the oppressed. our country will be the better. and you wille the happier becauseothing bris greater happinin life than to serve a cause greater an yourself. [applause] i am going to fight for my cause every day as your prest. i am going to fight to ke every americanasry reason to thank god as i thank hiand i am an american. with hard work, strong fai and a little coura,at reh.gs are aays within our fight wi me. 5 for what is right for our coy. fight for the ideas country -- character free people. fit for our cldren's future. fight for justice and oprtunity for all. d up to defend our count stand fachther. you are beautiful. bless u. andup. standu a fight. nothinis inevitable here. we're americans. we will neverive up. we never quit. we never hide from history. we makhisty. thank you, and god bless yound god bless america. [musicnd applause] [music and applause] [music and applause] [applause] ♪ ♪ [ause] [applause] [applause] [applause] [applause] [applause] [applause] d@ñu÷ . . i think a bunch of people read the book and thought it was a business plan and they ran for congress. because so many claim they read it, claim they understand it, yet they do the very thing we have been fighting against and trying to stop. during the campaign, i got a lot of advice. can you believe that? a lot of advice. sometimes from strangers, sometimes from our enemies, sometimes from my family as well. but, no, the advice that came up from the very well meaning individuals who were in the category of maybe mainstream republican, and they would come up and say, ron, we really like you. we like what you're doing, and we like what you're saying. but if you would only do one thing, if you would change one thing, boy, you would really have a lot more success. you need to change your foreign policy. and, of course, if i didn't have the policy that i do have, i don't believe we would be here tonight. and this is something they obviously do not understand. those who do understand it fear it because of the powerful special interests behind a foreign policy of intervention in the military industrial complex. so it's complex, but they strongly resent this, but it was mentioned already today. i have mentioned it before, but i think it's the best test. my support is coming from -- more so than anybody else -- from the military for our foreign policy. the subject 6 monetary policy comes up frequently in washington on our committee, but off and on over quite a few years, and the question has always been, what are we going to do to do with the peny? they want to change it to steel, but they can't even afford the steel. if you have a steel penny instead -- we're off the copper standard, now we're on zinge, we can't afford a zinc penny, so now they want to make them out of steel, but by the time you pay for the labor, it costs more to make a penny than a penny. the headline the other day, can we save the penny? i got to thinking, well, they don't understand monetary policy or they wouldn't be talking that way. the bigger question that we will be forced to face is can we save the dollar? there was a bill passed not too long ago, and as you could guess, it's the dodd-frank bill. did you ever hear of that monetary? in that deal, they gave more power to the federal reserve. they created a board of consumer financial protection bureau, protect all the consumers. so they were given a task here a couple of months ago, and it was designed to make things more efficient. that's why this story will tell you why efficiency is not the answer to our problems. we want to get the government out of the business that they're not supposed to be doing. but this new consumer financial protection board was given the task of simplifying the applications for more, because it's complex, and now they're more complex because they had a bubble and they don't know where the bubble came from, because it was probably because they didn't fill out enough forms, so they said, what we need to do is simplify these forms. so they went to work, and indeed, they came up with the solution. they provided the solution, it was 1,000 pages long on how to reduce two forms to one form. all these new regulations placed on everybody who applies for a bill and they think that is -- that will be the solution. but that isn't the solution. the solution is get the government out of our lives and off our back and out of our wallets. we are serious, and we are serious, and when we have the clout, what we do is we don't tinker around with 1,000 pages to simplify things. what we do is we repeal dodd-frank is what we do. and another -- you know, there was another time, the republicans, when they were in charge, they passed the sarbanes-oxley. the cost has been a trillion dollars with new regulation. but that is when the conservatives were in charge. so when we're getting rid of dodd-frank, we get rid of sarbanes-oxley as well. i am quinsed that we're living at a time that an era is ending, and this is significant, because you can be depressed at times when you look at what happened in washington, you work hard, you come close to victory, you don't have real victories, and it goes on and on. you say, this is too overwhelming. washington is responding too slowly. but the end of an era provides an opportunity, and i'm thinking about, what era are we talking about? first off, in the last 100 years approximately, what about 1913? that was a beginning of an era. that was a beginning of a time where they said, you know, with the income tax and a new foreign policy, we're going to have -- we're going to make the world safe for democracy, and we're going to have a war to end all wars, and we're going to have a federal reserve that's going to get rid of the business cycle, on and on. we were going to introduce this wonderful era. well, guess what. that era is not with us anymore. it's over and done with. we're just looking at the last vestiges of a bad program started in 1913. we will eventually get rid of the federal reserve. also, at approximately that same time, something else was started, and that was the domination or the oncoming of communism, 1917. the bolsheviks taking over, and communism was a panacea. it was all done with good intentions, to take care of the people, all those wonderful promises. well, communism lasted 74 years. it dissipated between 1989, 1991. people don't talk too much about communism anymore. at the same time, communism brought about -- it's hard to count when it gets up into the hundreds of millions. it is estimated that possibly 200 million people died by people who were able to put bad ideas on the table and look at the tragedy of what happened. that era is over and done with. we are not going to see the world go back to that type of a program again. that was books that impressed me in medical school was "dr. zig after owe." i remember one line and things were very, very bad during the volution. and lara says to zhivago, what a terrible time to be alive. and she was absolutely right, anticipating just what was coming. but i think things are different now. i don't think we should be as depressed. we have more knowledge now than ever before. we also had the 1930's, a continuation of the progressive era. we had the economic policy take over, the new deal taking over, the fascism of hitler and mousse lynnee, and they contributed to another 25 million people that died, just the fascism of europe. so the 1930's didn't do as well either. when you have bad economic policy, when you get involved in a war to end wars, it's only a war to begin more wars, and you end up in another world war, we end up, again, in another world war ii. and then after world war ii, we have this internationalism come in. we have the development of the united nations and the i.m.f. and the world bank. of course, they were working to worldwide currency, so they set up this agreement on money, which was a total farce. the good economists, the austrian economists at that time said it can't work, it won't work. indeed, when it fell apart, it was a very, very impressive day for me. like it is tonight, a sunday evening, it was on a sunday evening, august 15, 1971, the monetary system collapsed. but that was predictable. that's over with. and there are some, there's no doubt, who would like to go back to that. but it also gives us the wonderful opportunity to advance forward. in more recent history, we have had the advancement of these failed policies. the project for a new american century, that is -- you already know, there are a bunch of neocons running at you. they actually opened up an office in 1997. they closed their office in 2006. that doesn't mean they're gone, that doesn't mean they're not influencing most of the politicians in washington. but believe me, they're losing steam. right now, the wars that had been fought in the last year has given us $4 trillion worth of debt, are unpopular, we can't afford them, the american people want us out, and they want us to bring the truth home. now, if they don't listen to your shout, if they don't listen to common sense, they're going to listen to the facts of life, and the facts of life is we can't afford it anymore. the soviets didn't leave because they had an enlightenment, they left because they were broke, and they so foolishly got bogged down in afghanistan, so why don't we wise up and just take care of ourselves and defend our country and not be the policeman of the world? these conditions that have been developing for the past 100 years, and now we're in the midst of a change, providing an opportunity for a revolution for liberty, they have provided very serious problems for us. it will not be smooth sailing. but there's reason to be optimistic that we can have great achievement. but, to me, the three problems that we have to face, number one that i see as the problem, and if we solve it, we probably would solve most of the other ones, and that is the attack on personal liberty. if people truly understood what personal liberty means, you have self-ownership, a natural, good-given right to your life, therefore you have a right to your liberty, and we defend all right and liberty regardless of our judgment about how people are using that liberty, then we would have the natural sequence of saying, if that is the case, you have a natural right to keep the fruits of your labor and all of it. personal liberty, had it returns, once again you'll be able to drink raw milk. you'll be able to move rope out of hemp. you will be able to feel secure in your houses, that the federal government will not be able to spy on you or bust into your house without a search warrant. you will be allowed without a government permit to buy nutritional products when you please and what you please. no longer will government assume they have the responsibility of protecting you against yourselves. nobody can do that. the emphasis will no longer be on economic and personal security. the government will take care of us, but it will be emphasizing the government is there to protect our liberty. you know, they can give us security, whether it's economic, which always fails, or personal security. but you will become -- if the government said we can provide you perfect security, isn't that what we do with animals that we breed, to raise up and eat? i mean, this is what happens. they're secure. you put them in cages, you fatten them up, take care of them, they have all the food they want and the best nutrition until it's time to butcher. and this is safe. so what you want is liberty, you don't want this false sense of security that government cannot give you. in a free society, you can pick your nutritional products and make your own choices and you can drink raw milk, but you also, in a free society, you're allowed to make even more controversial choices. you might even decide to drink alcohol. and you know, there's a risk in alcohol, but in a truly free society, they tried the alcohol business and it didn't work very well. too many politicians drank alcohol, so they finally repealed that. but, yes, you would be allowed to make a decision on what kind of -- what things you smoke and drink or eat or whatever you do to your own body. of course, the argument is, what would happen to the world if they had freedom of choice to buy drugs and all these dangerous things? well, why don't you go back and look at early american history up until 1938 to find out how many people were using drugs, or the 19th century. once again, it's who gets to make these decisions much but the hardest thing for some people to accept, both liberals and conservatives, on this issue of your freedom, yes, we want you to have your freedom, we want you to make your own choices, and we're not going to tell you that you can't make bad choices. people say, well, doesn't that mean you endorse it? what if people drink too much or smoke too much? well, there's one rule. they have to assume the consequences of their actions totally and completely. but it is under the pretense of taking care of ourselves that we have this drug war. our government agencies have been known to be involved in drug trades. government agents have been involved. the law enforcement agencies have been involved. guess what. guess which industry we'd like to see marijuana never legalize, and that's the alcohol industry. how about the drug companies that sell all these tranquilizers? they don't want marijuana legalized either. so there's a lot of special interests thaleds like to keep drugs illegal. but the attack then is on our liberty. that is the important thing. we want our freedom to make these decisions, even when the wrong decisions are made. there are some people who say, well, if it's legal, that means we endorse it. no, we don't. what about religion? we're pretty good on religious values. some people choose no religion. some people pick different reasons, 10, 20, 30, 50 different kind of religions. but we generally protect that and say you make your own choice, we are not judgmental about that. they were pretty good, but we're getting, you know, we're getting sloppy on this to protect your intellectual freedom. now that they want to regulate the internet and arrest people for saying things. this is where we're going to be very careful, because when the state feels like they're under attack, probably the first freedom they get rid of is freedom of speech, ideas, spreading ideas. that is why our ideological revolution has to pursue, and it has to pursue quickly before they take away our ability to communicate. but it's the idea that changes the world, so that is why the first amendment is so crucially important. the second is economics. we're in an economic mess. it's very, very bad. i am convinced it's worse than anything that we faced, worse than the great depression, worse than, you know, when we're in major wars. because the foundation of our economic system, the understanding of property rights, understanding monetary policy has so eroded that the bubble that still exists is so huge and worldwide. so, when we see hints of this breaking part, in europe, what's going to happen to the euro and the european community and what's going to happen to us, generally so far, with our federal reserve and our treasury and so far, we said, well, we better be in europe, because our banks over there, they don't want to let everybody fail, so we want to keep bailing them out. i would say that eventually is going to bring the downfall of the dollar and the downfall of the economy, which means that there will be more excuses for them to crack the whip and crack down on our civil liberties. this is why understanding, civil liberties, individual rights are so crucial at tying it is to monetary policy and property rights because we cannot allow it to happen. the economic system today is based on debt. for too long, what we have done is bailed out every attempt of the market to correct the mistakes made, especially since 1971. we've always jumped in and interfered. that is, we spent more money, printed more money, lowered interest rates, and there seems to always be a response. even though the is it the stinks now are showing how devastating this economy and the destruction of currency is. the average american family losing, they know it, it's on the news this week, significantly, and that is a predictable event. if a government deliberately devalues and destroys the currency, it will destroy the middle class and the wealth will gravitate to the wealthy. that is the reason monetary policy is important, and the reason that ultimately we get rid of the fed. some people ask, well, haven't we had an accumulation of wealth in the last several decades? some people have done wealthier. the average person hasn't. the person is smaller in these past five years, so you print money, and even if they get a g.d.p. to go up, it's represented by the government spending more money on cruise missiles or something. and that doesn't help you, it doesn't help your income or keep prices down. it doesn't help you one bit, and it is so destructive, because when the trouble comes and the fed says, we are all wise, we know that interest rates should be, we know what the cost of money should be, and therefore, we're going to make it free, and guess who qualifies, the big banks, and they get free money and they loan it back to the government, and they buy the bonds, finance the political system, and they make a lot of money. but what happens to the average person who decides they need to be frugal? be prepared. act responsibly. guess what, instead of getting a market rate of interest, which could be 5%, they get 1% or nothing. so it is so unfair. once again, it is bilesed against the people, protects the big banks, big corporations, and the politicians. the other area we have created a lot of problems for ourselves, but we're in the midst of a transition, and that is on foreign affairs. we're spread too far around the world. we're in 140 countries. we have 900 bases. they're preparing to go into syria, and it probably won't be too long we may well number iran. we don't need another war, we need less war, and we need to quit. one of the strongest things that we have to deal with, of course, is the foreign policy as a consequence of the tremendous fear about being attacked by a terrorist. serious subject to deal with, and if you understand the blow back mechanism, we think we can do a whole lot to reduce the threat of terrorism. but right now, the threat of any of us being killed by terrorists about one in 25 million. the odds of being killed in a car is one in 19,000. lightning, one in five million. but guess what, if you're in the military and you have to go over and get involved in a shooting battle to save the world for democracy, make the world safe for democracy and bring peace and tranquility to these countries, guess what. the estimates are -- and there's no precise number -- but it's somewhere between two and 20 for a hundred people, like 20% that you will be killed by friendly fire. and they think we have to have a drone warfare, constant, every country. everybody suggests a drone missile. and guess what, that does not win friends. it does not help us in any way whatsoever. it has been said they were killing us over there and need to come over here where the second amendment is still alive and well. now, in talking about person policy like this, somebody really nationally said the other day on the internet, they said, oh, yeah, those paul people have been in charge, osama bin laden would still be alive. but you know what i think the answer is? so would the 3,000 people from 9/11 be alive. so would happen the 8,500 americans who are killed in iraq and afghanistan, they would be alive as well. also, those 44,000 military personnel who have come back severely injured, they would not be suffering those consequences, and we wouldn't have -- and we wouldn't have hundreds of thousands suffering from post-traumatic stress syndrome as well as brain injuries. so i would say, if you take that and add in $4 trillion, our side wins that argument by a long shot. of course, if we had our way and we remove these dangers, a president would not be able to assassinate anybody, especially never an american citizen. and, of course, we have our way, we would repeal the provision in the national defense authorization act. this whole idea that they've gone all the way back to 2015, it was the progress of liberty, and repeal habeas corpus by saying that you don't have any right of due process, and the military can arrest us and put in private prisons and never get a trial. that's something very un-american about that, let me tell you. now, when that bill was being debated in the senate, there was a provision in there so that it looked like it was going to get passed. if you were arrested and tried and found innocent in a jury trial, they still claimed that they could put us away forever and held indefinitely in detention. it didn't get that bad. it's still bad, but there was a senator, i can't think of his name. i think he was from kentucky. and he was able to stop that. once it got out on the table, we said we didn't know that was in there. of course, that's always possible, because they don't have the biggest idea what they're voting on most of the time. that is a problem, when there's a read the bills act, and i think that's the proper thing to do. you ought to read the bill. i haven't read all those bills. i mean, if they're 1,000 pages long, my staff has good instructions. they say all they have to do is show me if it's unconstitutional. if there was ever a time when i wasn't qul informed, came quickly, and thought i haven't throughout this through completely, let me tell you, it's always been safe to vote no. you know, i think the important thing that we know in this room and the growing number of americans are realizing that the worst thing we can do is remain silent. how many times i've been to the campuses, i brought this subject up about military arrest. i said how many times -- how many times have you heard about it on the evening news? as soon as i say it, the people in the audience, they were outraged about it. we have to get around the system, which will not report on it, because they're part of the problem. but another accusation that is made quite frequently at me and you is that we're not patriotic. well, we do know -- we do know the military supports us, because they say that's un-american, you're not patriotic. but all our views are supposed to be, they hide behind this, patriotism is. i have been taught and convinced that patriotism is that quality that permits us in a free society to criticize our own government when they're wrong. this is why i have a soft spot in my heart for whistle blowers. the whistle blowers serves a very good function, but quite frequently, what are they accused of? treason. why are they doing? so bradley manning, you know. now he's in the military, and there are probably some, you know, debate on exactly scommow what to do. but let me tell you, bradley manning didn't kill anybody. bradley manning hasn't caused the death of anybody. and what he has exposed, he is equivalent to daniel, who told ums the truth about vietnam. and when daniel ellsburg was under the gun, the government wanted to crack down on the exposure on the "new york times," and the "new york times" printed the material that ellsburg released, and that went to the supreme court. the consequence of this, so we're at this point, but just think right now, i'm afraid that if we took a poll across the country, and they say, should we try ass act for treason -- should we try assange for treason? most americans are going to say, oh, yes, he's a bad guy, he's telling all these secrets. but guess what, he's an australian citizen. and you read about it all the time, let's try him for treason and bring him to the united states. so we have so much power and clout, even sweden is submitting to say, well, we'll drum up some false charges and send him over to the united states so he can have a fair trial. but those are the kinds of things, the problem we need to be worried about, that we need to be concerned about, but they're also about the kind of things that we can reverse, and that should be our goal, to change this, to know what a free society is all about, to know where we are and what we need to do. we don't have to invent it. we've had a good tathes of it. we don't have to go bad to a static period in the 19th century because there were a lot of problems. even the gold standard can be improved upon. so we want to advance the cause. i think the cause of the liberty act got a tremendous boost with our revolution and our constitution. the people who want tyranny, want big government, that's what is anxious. they're the ones who want to go back to the dark ages. how we we look at today? do we look at it like 1913? are we starting all over again and bringing in a new system? is it 1917 with the sovietization and the communization of the world? is it the 1930's, where we had so much fascism and all the mess we have, and then as the 1950's and the advancement or now, are we going to have to live with the neo cons, or are we going to say, we're living in a new era? we're going to start something different, completely different than all that. he said in 1935, sinclair lewis wrote a novel, "it can't happen here." that novel essentially was a warning, because he believed it could happen here. it was an anti-fascist novel, because he was very concerned about mussolini and the nazis. i would like to turn that around and told him it can happen here. not in a negative sense, but if we don't believe it can happen, it won't have a prayer of a chance. we can turn it around if we put the work and effort into it. but how many times have you seen a revolution that really has turned out? all through the 20th century, some of the revolutions and wars, wars and all that, it never happened. and right now we still have neo cons all over the place. you know, they aren't all in one party either. both of the parties, and that's what we have to be challenged. but there have been times in our history where, in the history of the world, where there has been success. in 1850, the british passed a law. it was called the repeal of the corn laws, and it was an introduction into free market economics, repealing, you know, mercantilism and protectionism and ushered in the age of the industrial revolution. and it was a difficult time. the representative had this pass, he works for so many years, and it was smoothly, there are a lot of special interests, and they transitioned into a much better system. in 1919, they decided in this country that we were going to take care. american people to make sure your habits and the habits were wise and frugal, so they passed this pricks of alcohol. -- passed this prohibition of alcohol. and it didn't work. what happened by the early 1930's? by 1933, the people rose up and said this is ridiculous. prohibition is bad. and they repealed prohibition. so someday we're going to wake up and say the same thing about all drugs and say, right now, we're getting a lot more settlement for this, repeal these drug laws, get rid of the crime associated with the drug laws. in 1933, as roosevelt ran over, he ran believing his program -- he had the most conservative platform, because hoover wasn't doing such a good job. he said he would defend the gold standard and balance the budget and cut spending. well, that didn't exactly happen, balls the first thing did he was made it illegal for the american sit zpwren to own gold. -- for the american citizen to own gold. that told about you something what was happening. but it was illegal to own gold all the way up until 1975. so in 1975, why is gold illegal? a law was passed, and once again, we moved back in the direction, and the american people could own gold. it's a very important issue in a free society. don't give up right to own precious metal or a weapon to defend yourself. in 1985, once again, as a consequence of the gold commission, one thing that came out, they would not be go along with the views that i had on gold at the time. and they say, well, we're throwing something, so why don't we get them -- but it was a big thing. it was a big deal for us to take something, it's one of the few constitutional authorities that we have to mint gold and silver coins, so that was restored in 1985. point being, it isn't inexorable we move in the wrong direction, we can move in the other direction. even i, if you would have asked me five years ago, that we were to get the attention of the nation, and we were to get the attention of the establishment, the republicans, even if they felt compeled to talk about it in the platform, i never dreamed we would get attention to probably 75% of the people who say the fed ought to be audited. so what is our big challenge? the big challenge is can we restore natural, god-given rights to our people so that we emphasize the fact that return of liberty can solve so many problems? economic properties mean private report, contract rights, gold standard, and get the government out of this business of regulating this market. it regulates quite well. under those conditions, guess what happens in a free market. they said there will nobody regulation. no, the regulation is if you go bankrupt, you go bankrupt and you don't get bailed out by the government. so, the really big question we have to decide upon is which way are we going to go. we see the end of an era. where is it going to go? and i think the choice is one of two. i do not think that there's going to be another marxist come along and restore enthusiasm for marxism. i don't think tomorrow we're going to have the same thing as a hitler or mussolini, but i do think we have to worry about fairism, an expansion behalf we already have, which is corporatism. the buddy system between big corporations, big banks with the government, and that is the reason that we have to be on the side of saying, yes, if you're big and you made your money because you had special benefits and bailouts and protectionism from the government, that is wrong. but if you're big because you sold a good product to us and we baltimore it and you have a right to be rich for doing that. we do know ideas do have consequences and ideas about them, it can't be stopped. i really believe we're here. i think we're here. they're want going to be able to stop us, but we have to learn to know how to stop the flop, the baloney and get rid of it. you can't hit them over the head with a two by four. it seems like that's the best to do at times. some people claim i have not been, i don't express my outrage enough. you should be more outraged. look at what they're doing to you. how did you put up with that? how did you ever put up with this in congress? 30 years, you're not yelling and screaming. but have you ever thought about it? what if i became outraged at everything they did wrong? i'd have been worn out in about five years for sure. we do need to sort it out. we do need to know the good ideas from bad ideas. we do need to suede people. politics plays a role in this. i feel very blessed that i was able to be a professional person, practice medicine, which my wife describes as something i loved and i did. one of the reasons why i went back to my practice after being in washington for six, seven years. but politics is something that is beneficial. i don't think there's any luck in taking your positions. i think that is a freedom of choice, and you make those decisions. so being in the right place at the right time has a lot to do with it. i think every one of us has a responsibility. people in an audience like this know and understand the problem. you have more insight than essentially almost everybody in washington. but the difficult task sufficient more responsibility. a lot of people say, well, even in the introductions today, i talk about sacrifice. i don't think for a minute i sacrificed anything. i do it out of self-interest. i do it because i think it's good for me. i sort out good ideas and bad ideas. i always advise, if you don't try to have some fun, like i hope you do the rest of the evening, have some fun, then you're going to get worn out. once you come to the conclusion that you put your whole thing together, personal liberty, property rights, sound foreign policy, monetary policy, and then there's enlightenment, and you say, wow, this really comes together. so out of your own spread interest, you first educate yourself, study and learn and learn thousand get the answers. but you don't have to worry about it, if you speak out and you're available, somebody will use you. you may organize. who knows what it will be? but the obligation is there. you have an obligation to do your very best to change this, because it's in the interest of you and our country. when we do this, we have to aim high. we have to be very idealistic. we have to use reason, and we have to have passion. we have to have passion for this. this will convert people rather than grabbing them by the collar and saying, don't you understand what i'm saying? listen to me. that will work, i tell you that, it just doesn't work. a soft answer sometimes is a lot better. soft answer in washington doesn't seem to help too much. but when you're persuading your friends, soft answers and discussions is a good way to convince people. this idea of describing it as a one unit, that you don't have economic freedom, no, it's all just tell them, freedom is popular, but that's the reason. and the basic role that drives this whole philosophy is the rejection of violence. you don't kill other people. you don't take their property. you tolerate other people. just think about this for a minute. freedom should bring us together. it should never be divisive. because in this room, there might be 1,000 different reasons why you want your freedom. you might want a personal reason, intellectual reason. but if you all agree on liberty, you don't have to worry what the other guy is doing, other person, how they dress, what they say or what they do. we all should come together to defend liberty. giving up this nirks of violence is very important. we live with a lot of violence. state violence, police violence, individual violence, and we're in a very violent culture. i think it's the result -- this is my own theory -- i think it comes from the fact that welfarism and socialism doesn't generate a sense of self-esteem. it generates -- [applause] instead of generating an understanding and enjoyment of liberty, it generates this idea of somebody owes me something. and this is very negative. and i think self-esteem comes from production, where you feel good about yourself. you feel good about yourself, you did something. now, somebody some people can produce computers. there can be a steve jobs. i couldn't possibly be a steve jobs, but i bet his satisfaction came as much from producing things as it was for just getting another billion dollars, you know? i just don't think that's it. it is self-esteem and confidence. but everybody's self-esteem and confidence from producing comes differently. it might be raising a family. it might be doing your job well, you know, doing your job well. but the self-esteem to me seems to be so important. i am convinced that when people lose their self-esteem, they're more likely to do violence to others, because they don't even have enough respect for themselves. so injuring others doesn't matter. and maybe those to redistribute wealth suffer from the same problem. oh, yeah, superficially they want to take care of everybody, but they do might not have enough self-esteem to understand where it really comes from. my personal goal with my politics and personal life is a free society provides me an opportunity to seek virtue and excellence. and that should be a personal goal. if the government takes over the rule of trying to make you a better person, an excellent person, make you virtueous, it's all over. so instead of seeing this as a continuation of an era of the 20th century that give us so much death and destruction and conditions today that are so dangerous, let us think that we are now moving into a new era, a new era where we're going to concentrate on liberty and freedom and property and peace. i believe that is the cause that we should lead, and i thank you very much for being part of it. thank you. [applause] >> on the schedule is a tribute to texas representative and 2012 presidential candidate ron paul. it's planned to be shown wednesday at around 7:00 p.m. eastern. you can watch it as part of our live gavel to gavel coverage here on c-span. [captioning performed by national captioning institute] [captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2012] >> later today, a campaign rally with paul ryan. he's in his hometown in wisconsin as he leaves for the republican convention in tampa, florida am join us at 12:20 eastern here on c-span. >> c-span's coverage of the republican convention starts this week with the democrats following september 4. every minute, every speech, live on c-span, c-span radio, and online at c-span.org. with today's program cancelled due to weather in tamp, monday we'll see a quick call to order and recess for the day. featured speakers tuesday night include ann romney and chris cris wee his keynote address. wednesday, 2008 g.o.p. presidential candidate, arizona senator john mccain. and later, congressman paul ryan delivering his vice-presidential acceptance speech. and thursday, florida senator marco rubio will introduce republican presidential nominee, american. use our online convention hub to watch exclusive video feeds, create and share video clips, add your comments, and connect with other viewers, all at c-span.org/campaign2012. spend next weekend in ohio state capital, columbus, as book tv and american history tv join c-span's local content vehicle to look behind the scenes at the history and literary life of ohio's largest city. on book tv on c-span2, bruce the rare books collection at ohio state university. and from american homicide, randolph reports charts murder from colonial times to the present. and on american history tv on c-span3 from the historic state house, learn about ohio's connection to our 16th president. also, discover how the prehistoric people created and used the largest geometric earth works in the world. throughout the weekend, history and literature, with book tv, american history tv, and c-span's local content vehicles, on c-span2 and 3. vehicles, on c-span2 and 3. .

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