WEBVTT

00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:01.000
good evening

00:00:01.000 --> 00:00:03.000
I'm Dr. Rob Winningham and I serve as

00:00:03.000 --> 00:00:04.000
Provost and Vice President

00:00:04.000 --> 00:00:06.000
for Academic Affairs here at

00:00:06.000 --> 00:00:09.000
Western Oregon University it is my

00:00:09.000 --> 00:00:10.000
pleasure to welcome all of

00:00:10.000 --> 00:00:12.000
you and our bipartisan team

00:00:12.000 --> 00:00:14.000
of former members of Congress

00:00:14.000 --> 00:00:16.000
representative Rod Chandler

00:00:16.000 --> 00:00:18.000
and representative Nick Lampson

00:00:18.000 --> 00:00:20.000
to this Congress to Campus forum

00:00:20.000 --> 00:00:21.000
representative Lampson and

00:00:21.000 --> 00:00:23.000
Chandler have been on campus

00:00:23.000 --> 00:00:26.000
all day today all day yesterday

00:00:26.000 --> 00:00:28.000
and they'll be back again tomorrow

00:00:28.000 --> 00:00:30.000
visiting classes and talking

00:00:30.000 --> 00:00:32.000
with our campus community

00:00:32.000 --> 00:00:34.000
we're incredibly grateful for

00:00:34.000 --> 00:00:35.000
the time they've spent and these

00:00:35.000 --> 00:00:37.000
opportunities facilitating

00:00:37.000 --> 00:00:39.000
these conversations where they've

00:00:39.000 --> 00:00:41.000
shared experiences about public

00:00:41.000 --> 00:00:43.000
service these types of high

00:00:43.000 --> 00:00:46.000
impact educational experiences

00:00:46.000 --> 00:00:48.000
can shape lives further

00:00:48.000 --> 00:00:50.000
knowledge about public policy

00:00:50.000 --> 00:00:53.000
and I hope facilitate civil

00:00:53.000 --> 00:00:56.000
debate and discourse in these

00:00:56.000 --> 00:00:57.000
times that have been described

00:00:57.000 --> 00:00:60.000
as divided we need to learn or

00:01:00.000 --> 00:01:04.000
possibly relearn how to listen

00:01:04.000 --> 00:01:06.000
how to challenge our preconceived

00:01:06.000 --> 00:01:09.000
notions how to be mindful of

00:01:09.000 --> 00:01:11.000
our potential filter bubbles

00:01:11.000 --> 00:01:14.000
and echo chambers with that in

00:01:14.000 --> 00:01:15.000
mind we're incredibly grateful

00:01:15.000 --> 00:01:16.000
for the Congress to Campus

00:01:16.000 --> 00:01:18.000
program and their ability to

00:01:18.000 --> 00:01:20.000
support opportunities like

00:01:20.000 --> 00:01:23.000
this in addition to Western's

00:01:23.000 --> 00:01:25.000
Congress to Campus opportunity

00:01:25.000 --> 00:01:26.000
this would not have been

00:01:26.000 --> 00:01:27.000
possible without the hard work

00:01:27.000 --> 00:01:30.000
of Dr. Earlene Camarillo

00:01:30.000 --> 00:01:32.000
and Dr. Mary Pettinger who

00:01:32.000 --> 00:01:33.000
submitted the application for

00:01:33.000 --> 00:01:35.000
this event and planned all

00:01:35.000 --> 00:01:37.000
of the events please join me

00:01:37.000 --> 00:01:41.000
in sharing our appreciation

00:01:41.000 --> 00:01:43.000
thank you

00:01:43.000 --> 00:01:44.000
I also want to thank the

00:01:44.000 --> 00:01:46.000
faculty who hosted class sessions

00:01:46.000 --> 00:01:47.000
with representative Chandler

00:01:47.000 --> 00:01:49.000
and Lampson including

00:01:49.000 --> 00:01:51.000
Dr. Emily Plec

00:01:51.000 --> 00:01:53.000
Ms. CM Hall

00:01:53.000 --> 00:01:54.000
Dr. Mark Henkels

00:01:54.000 --> 00:01:56.000
Ms. Jennifer Moreno

00:01:56.000 --> 00:01:58.000
Dr. Andrea Emerson

00:01:58.000 --> 00:01:61.000
and Dr. Isidore Lobnibe

00:02:01.000 --> 00:02:04.000
tonight's forum will focus on Congress

00:02:04.000 --> 00:02:05.000
and we'll get to hear what

00:02:05.000 --> 00:02:07.000
it is like to be a member of

00:02:07.000 --> 00:02:09.000
Congress each representative

00:02:09.000 --> 00:02:10.000
will give an overview of

00:02:10.000 --> 00:02:12.000
their background role as a

00:02:12.000 --> 00:02:14.000
representative and how they

00:02:14.000 --> 00:02:16.000
view the role of Congress

00:02:16.000 --> 00:02:18.000
more broadly then we'll have

00:02:18.000 --> 00:02:20.000
some moderated questions and

00:02:20.000 --> 00:02:21.000
then student ambassadors will

00:02:21.000 --> 00:02:24.000
collect audience questions --

00:02:24.000 --> 00:02:26.000
via index cards we encourage

00:02:26.000 --> 00:02:28.000
you to share your experience

00:02:28.000 --> 00:02:29.000
tonight on social media

00:02:29.000 --> 00:02:31.000
accounts feel free to take

00:02:31.000 --> 00:02:32.000
photos and post what you are

00:02:32.000 --> 00:02:35.000
learning please tag your

00:02:35.000 --> 00:02:36.000
Western Oregon University

00:02:36.000 --> 00:02:39.000
post we are @WOUnews on

00:02:39.000 --> 00:02:42.000
Facebook Twitter and Instagram

00:02:42.000 --> 00:02:44.000
we also encourage you to use

00:02:44.000 --> 00:02:47.000
hashtags #HowlAboutIt

00:02:50.000 --> 00:02:51.000
on Twitter and Instagram

00:02:51.000 --> 00:02:53.000
does anybody know what FMC

00:02:53.000 --> 00:02:55.000
stands for former members of

00:02:55.000 --> 00:02:58.000
Congress so you're welcome to

00:02:58.000 --> 00:02:59.000
take photos and post to social

00:02:59.000 --> 00:02:60.000
media throughout the event

00:03:00.000 --> 00:03:01.000
but we ask that you please

00:03:01.000 --> 00:03:04.000
silent your phones now now

00:03:04.000 --> 00:03:05.000
we'd like to -- to introduce

00:03:05.000 --> 00:03:07.000
the representatives there's

00:03:07.000 --> 00:03:10.000
Rod Chandler served in the US

00:03:10.000 --> 00:03:11.000
House of Representatives as

00:03:11.000 --> 00:03:12.000
a Republican from Washington

00:03:12.000 --> 00:03:14.000
state for ten years during

00:03:14.000 --> 00:03:16.000
which time he served on a

00:03:16.000 --> 00:03:18.000
number of committees including

00:03:18.000 --> 00:03:19.000
the House Ways and Means

00:03:19.000 --> 00:03:21.000
Committee where he worked on

00:03:21.000 --> 00:03:24.000
tax laws pension issues trade

00:03:24.000 --> 00:03:26.000
agreements social security

00:03:26.000 --> 00:03:28.000
and Medicare after his

00:03:28.000 --> 00:03:29.000
departure from the US House of

00:03:29.000 --> 00:03:31.000
Representatives he maintained

00:03:31.000 --> 00:03:33.000
he remained in Washington DC

00:03:33.000 --> 00:03:34.000
as a lobbyist before ending

00:03:34.000 --> 00:03:37.000
his career in Colorado as

00:03:37.000 --> 00:03:39.000
a civil civics teacher at a

00:03:39.000 --> 00:03:41.000
public high school today

00:03:41.000 --> 00:03:43.000
Mr. Chandler enjoys retired life

00:03:43.000 --> 00:03:44.000
as an accomplished amateur

00:03:44.000 --> 00:03:47.000
photographer and we also have

00:03:47.000 --> 00:03:49.000
representive Nick Lampson

00:03:49.000 --> 00:03:50.000
who served in the US House of

00:03:50.000 --> 00:03:52.000
Representatives as a Democrat

00:03:52.000 --> 00:03:54.000
from Texas for ten years

00:03:54.000 --> 00:03:55.000
and throughout his tenure

00:03:55.000 --> 00:03:57.000
Representative Lampson served

00:03:57.000 --> 00:03:58.000
on a number of committees

00:03:58.000 --> 00:03:59.000
including the Committee on

00:03:59.000 --> 00:03:61.000
Science and Technology the

00:04:01.000 --> 00:04:03.000
Subcommittee on Energy and

00:04:03.000 --> 00:04:04.000
the Environment and the Space

00:04:04.000 --> 00:04:06.000
and Aeronautics Subcommittee

00:04:06.000 --> 00:04:08.000
to name just a few today he

00:04:08.000 --> 00:04:10.000
resides in Beaumont Texas

00:04:10.000 --> 00:04:12.000
serving as Vice President of

00:04:12.000 --> 00:04:13.000
Operations for Riceland

00:04:13.000 --> 00:04:17.000
Healthcare -- as well as government

00:04:18.000 --> 00:04:21.000
for Gertz Law Firm and

00:04:21.000 --> 00:04:24.000
chair of the board for Land Manor

00:04:24.000 --> 00:04:25.000
a half-way house helping

00:04:25.000 --> 00:04:27.000
recovery recovering substance

00:04:27.000 --> 00:04:30.000
abusers transition back into

00:04:30.000 --> 00:04:32.000
the community again a huge

00:04:32.000 --> 00:04:34.000
thank you to everyone who

00:04:34.000 --> 00:04:35.000
made these events possible

00:04:35.000 --> 00:04:37.000
especially Representatives

00:04:37.000 --> 00:04:39.000
Chandler and Lampson --

00:04:40.000 --> 00:04:42.000
giving them a warm

00:04:42.000 --> 00:04:44.000
Western Oregon University welcome

00:04:44.000 --> 00:04:46.000
thank you

00:04:46.000 --> 00:04:49.000
applause

00:04:49.000 --> 00:04:51.000
hello y'all I figured I'd

00:04:51.000 --> 00:04:53.000
use the colloquial seeing as

00:04:53.000 --> 00:04:56.000
I'm the one from Texas thank

00:04:56.000 --> 00:04:58.000
you for coming here and and

00:04:58.000 --> 00:04:60.000
thank you for welcoming us --

00:05:00.000 --> 00:05:03.000
to -- to to this university --

00:05:03.000 --> 00:05:05.000
we're very pleased to be here

00:05:05.000 --> 00:05:08.000
we have spent a day and a half

00:05:08.000 --> 00:05:10.000
now -- talking to students

00:05:10.000 --> 00:05:12.000
throughout the campus and as

00:05:12.000 --> 00:05:16.000
always it is a real pleasure to

00:05:16.000 --> 00:05:18.000
hear of their interests see the

00:05:18.000 --> 00:05:19.000
things that are done specially

00:05:19.000 --> 00:05:24.000
here -- and -- -- and

00:05:24.000 --> 00:05:25.000
just learn how you do things

00:05:25.000 --> 00:05:27.000
so it's a it's a real honor

00:05:27.000 --> 00:05:29.000
to come I'm from southeast

00:05:29.000 --> 00:05:32.000
Texas Beaumont -- Beaumont is

00:05:32.000 --> 00:05:33.000
about a hundred miles east of

00:05:33.000 --> 00:05:34.000
Houston and forty miles west

00:05:34.000 --> 00:05:37.000
of Louisiana and twenty miles

00:05:37.000 --> 00:05:39.000
north of the -- coastline of

00:05:39.000 --> 00:05:41.000
the Gulf of Mexico we're in

00:05:41.000 --> 00:05:46.000
a humid -- green area that --

00:05:46.000 --> 00:05:48.000
welcomes lots of hurricanes

00:05:48.000 --> 00:05:50.000
so it's nice to get away from

00:05:50.000 --> 00:05:52.000
that for just a little while

00:05:53.000 --> 00:05:55.000
rainy season is -- is a bad one

00:05:55.000 --> 00:05:59.000
it's not -- I got interested in

00:05:59.000 --> 00:05:61.000
politics while I was a student

00:06:01.000 --> 00:06:03.000
at Lamar University in Beaumont

00:06:06.000 --> 00:06:08.000
issues -- that I was requested

00:06:08.000 --> 00:06:09.000
to by people that I knew

00:06:09.000 --> 00:06:10.000
within the city government of

00:06:10.000 --> 00:06:13.000
Beaumont and the interest stuck

00:06:13.000 --> 00:06:15.000
and I got more and more engaged

00:06:15.000 --> 00:06:19.000
in -- in -- student life

00:06:19.000 --> 00:06:21.000
student government life and

00:06:21.000 --> 00:06:22.000
became president of my student

00:06:22.000 --> 00:06:25.000
body and at the last year of

00:06:25.000 --> 00:06:27.000
my service to my university

00:06:27.000 --> 00:06:29.000
I went to a statewide student

00:06:29.000 --> 00:06:31.000
organizational meeting where I

00:06:31.000 --> 00:06:32.000
met the governor of the state

00:06:32.000 --> 00:06:34.000
of Texas who inspired me to do

00:06:34.000 --> 00:06:37.000
public service as he had done

00:06:38.000 --> 00:06:40.000
to the community that some of

00:06:40.000 --> 00:06:43.000
what we receive so much of from

00:06:43.000 --> 00:06:45.000
our communities and he challenged

00:06:45.000 --> 00:06:47.000
me to do that through elected

00:06:47.000 --> 00:06:49.000
office I took him up on that

00:06:49.000 --> 00:06:52.000
challenge and set my goals

00:06:52.000 --> 00:06:53.000
to run for public office as

00:06:53.000 --> 00:06:55.000
soon as I could I intended to

00:06:55.000 --> 00:06:56.000
run for my first office when

00:06:56.000 --> 00:06:58.000
I was 35 years old

00:06:58.000 --> 00:06:59.000
but I ran when I was 23

00:06:59.000 --> 00:06:61.000
and never quit -- it

00:07:01.000 --> 00:07:03.000
was -- something that I got a

00:07:03.000 --> 00:07:05.000
tremendous amount of benefit

00:07:05.000 --> 00:07:07.000
from -- because I grew in

00:07:07.000 --> 00:07:09.000
knowledge of my community grew

00:07:09.000 --> 00:07:10.000
in knowledge of the people

00:07:10.000 --> 00:07:12.000
that I served -- and put me in

00:07:12.000 --> 00:07:14.000
a position hopefully to have

00:07:14.000 --> 00:07:17.000
been able to add some benefit

00:07:17.000 --> 00:07:19.000
to both people still call on me

00:07:19.000 --> 00:07:21.000
for many of the activities --

00:07:23.000 --> 00:07:24.000
with while I was a member of

00:07:24.000 --> 00:07:26.000
Congress -- and -- and that's

00:07:26.000 --> 00:07:29.000
very much enjoyable to me I had

00:07:29.000 --> 00:07:31.000
a little bit of a strange --

00:07:31.000 --> 00:07:33.000
situation with my service

00:07:33.000 --> 00:07:34.000
in the House of Representatives

00:07:34.000 --> 00:07:36.000
in that we were seeing a

00:07:36.000 --> 00:07:39.000
political shift -- during the

00:07:39.000 --> 00:07:41.000
late '90s and early 2000s

00:07:41.000 --> 00:07:43.000
 -- the Congress had

00:07:43.000 --> 00:07:45.000
changed hands from Democratic

00:07:45.000 --> 00:07:47.000
control to Republican control

00:07:47.000 --> 00:07:50.000
in 1994 and the

00:07:50.000 --> 00:07:51.000
person that beat my congressman

00:07:51.000 --> 00:07:54.000
in 1994 I

00:07:54.000 --> 00:07:56.000
challenged in 1996

00:07:56.000 --> 00:07:59.000
and I returned I went to

00:07:59.000 --> 00:07:62.000
Congress then and from that

00:08:02.000 --> 00:08:05.000
point forward the new newly

00:08:05.000 --> 00:08:06.000
controlled or new controlled

00:08:06.000 --> 00:08:07.000
by the Republican Party began

00:08:07.000 --> 00:08:11.000
to slightly slip away the

00:08:11.000 --> 00:08:13.000
numbers were declining and

00:08:13.000 --> 00:08:16.000
so the then Majority Leader

00:08:16.000 --> 00:08:18.000
and then -- well actually was

00:08:18.000 --> 00:08:19.000
Majority Whip then Majority

00:08:19.000 --> 00:08:21.000
Leader -- right around 2--

00:08:22.000 --> 00:08:25.000
Tom DeLay conceived of the

00:08:25.000 --> 00:08:28.000
idea that he could create more

00:08:28.000 --> 00:08:29.000
Republican seats in the House

00:08:29.000 --> 00:08:31.000
of Representatives by drawing

00:08:31.000 --> 00:08:34.000
congressional boundaries that

00:08:34.000 --> 00:08:38.000
would more certainly guarantee

00:08:38.000 --> 00:08:40.000
the election of a Republican

00:08:40.000 --> 00:08:42.000
or a Democrat depending on how

00:08:42.000 --> 00:08:43.000
the -- how the district was

00:08:43.000 --> 00:08:45.000
drawn and he went after seven

00:08:45.000 --> 00:08:47.000
white male Democrats in the

00:08:47.000 --> 00:08:49.000
state of Texas that year and

00:08:49.000 --> 00:08:51.000
he succeeded by getting five of

00:08:51.000 --> 00:08:54.000
us -- the lines that were drawn

00:08:57.000 --> 00:08:60.000
and -- displacing folks like

00:09:00.000 --> 00:09:02.000
me making it difficult for the

00:09:02.000 --> 00:09:03.000
people who had been voting for

00:09:03.000 --> 00:09:05.000
me -- to be able to do so and

00:09:05.000 --> 00:09:07.000
bring in a new set of people

00:09:07.000 --> 00:09:09.000
to offset those that I lost

00:09:09.000 --> 00:09:11.000
so for example my district

00:09:11.000 --> 00:09:12.000
was a long district it ran down

00:09:12.000 --> 00:09:13.000
the coastline from Beaumont

00:09:13.000 --> 00:09:15.000
to Galveston basically

00:09:15.000 --> 00:09:17.000
a little bit further than that --

00:09:17.000 --> 00:09:19.000
they split that district in

00:09:19.000 --> 00:09:22.000
half and the southern half

00:09:22.000 --> 00:09:23.000
the Galveston part of it

00:09:23.000 --> 00:09:27.000
was moved east and west so

00:09:27.000 --> 00:09:29.000
that the district included a

00:09:29.000 --> 00:09:31.000
large part of the north part

00:09:31.000 --> 00:09:33.000
of Houston now why is that

00:09:33.000 --> 00:09:34.000
important the north part of

00:09:34.000 --> 00:09:36.000
Houston was a white collar

00:09:38.000 --> 00:09:40.000
while the remaining part of

00:09:40.000 --> 00:09:42.000
the congressional district that

00:09:42.000 --> 00:09:45.000
I had served in was a

00:09:45.000 --> 00:09:47.000
petrochemical agricultural

00:09:47.000 --> 00:09:51.000
blue-collar -- community the

00:09:51.000 --> 00:09:53.000
interests were different and so

00:09:53.000 --> 00:09:56.000
with me being unknown in that

00:09:56.000 --> 00:09:57.000
part of the new part of the

00:09:57.000 --> 00:09:60.000
district -- and not having the

00:10:00.000 --> 00:10:02.000
ability to raise enough money

00:10:02.000 --> 00:10:04.000
to introduce myself in the very

00:10:04.000 --> 00:10:05.000
short number of months of that

00:10:05.000 --> 00:10:07.000
campaign after the districts

00:10:07.000 --> 00:10:09.000
were approved by -- by the

00:10:09.000 --> 00:10:10.000
by the legislature and by the

00:10:10.000 --> 00:10:12.000
courts it made it literally

00:10:12.000 --> 00:10:13.000
impossible for me to win in

00:10:13.000 --> 00:10:14.000
the district that was designed

00:10:14.000 --> 00:10:16.000
to perform at seventy percent

00:10:16.000 --> 00:10:18.000
sixty eight sixty nine percent

00:10:18.000 --> 00:10:22.000
Republican I got 50 -- 46

00:10:22.000 --> 00:10:24.000
percent of the vote which

00:10:24.000 --> 00:10:26.000
was a decent showing but I

00:10:26.000 --> 00:10:29.000
lost the election that set in

00:10:29.000 --> 00:10:31.000
motion because it occurred in

00:10:31.000 --> 00:10:34.000
the middle of the decade -- --

00:10:34.000 --> 00:10:35.000
that set in motion something

00:10:35.000 --> 00:10:37.000
that spread not just through

00:10:37.000 --> 00:10:39.000
Texas but through many other

00:10:39.000 --> 00:10:42.000
states to see other states

00:10:42.000 --> 00:10:44.000
take advantage of mid-decadal 

00:10:44.000 --> 00:10:47.000
 redistricting typically

00:10:47.000 --> 00:10:48.000
redistricting according to the

00:10:48.000 --> 00:10:50.000
Constitution takes place at

00:10:50.000 --> 00:10:52.000
the end of the -- at the

00:10:52.000 --> 00:10:53.000
end of the decade following

00:10:53.000 --> 00:10:55.000
the census to reapportion

00:10:55.000 --> 00:10:56.000
people taken into consideration

00:10:56.000 --> 00:10:57.000
where they have moved where

00:10:57.000 --> 00:10:60.000
they're located now to do it

00:11:00.000 --> 00:11:02.000
in 2003 to

00:11:02.000 --> 00:11:04.000
affect the 2004 --

00:11:08.000 --> 00:11:09.000
but interestingly enough

00:11:09.000 --> 00:11:12.000
following that effort in Texas

00:11:12.000 --> 00:11:14.000
it began to happen in other

00:11:14.000 --> 00:11:16.000
states so that today we have

00:11:16.000 --> 00:11:18.000
gerrymandered enough districts

00:11:18.000 --> 00:11:19.000
that there probably are no more

00:11:19.000 --> 00:11:21.000
than a dozen really competitive

00:11:21.000 --> 00:11:22.000
congressional districts in the

00:11:22.000 --> 00:11:24.000
whole United States of America

00:11:24.000 --> 00:11:26.000
that to me is a dangerous

00:11:26.000 --> 00:11:28.000
thing if we're going to have

00:11:28.000 --> 00:11:31.000
real -- representation of

00:11:31.000 --> 00:11:32.000
our citizens and the citizens

00:11:32.000 --> 00:11:33.000
are going to have to have

00:11:33.000 --> 00:11:35.000
confidence that the -- that the

00:11:35.000 --> 00:11:36.000
people are providing them as

00:11:36.000 --> 00:11:38.000
good an opportunity to reach

00:11:38.000 --> 00:11:39.000
solutions to our problems

00:11:39.000 --> 00:11:42.000
as possible and I refer often to

00:11:42.000 --> 00:11:45.000
what George Washington said

00:11:45.000 --> 00:11:47.000
in his farewell address from

00:11:47.000 --> 00:11:49.000
the White House that if we

00:11:49.000 --> 00:11:50.000
allow political parties to

00:11:50.000 --> 00:11:52.000
become more important than our

00:11:52.000 --> 00:11:54.000
Congress then our Congress will not

00:11:54.000 --> 00:11:56.000
be able to make decisions and

00:11:56.000 --> 00:11:59.000
we are living that right now

00:11:59.000 --> 00:11:60.000
in order for us to change it

00:12:00.000 --> 00:12:02.000
we're going to have to address

00:12:02.000 --> 00:12:03.000
redistricting in a different

00:12:03.000 --> 00:12:04.000
manner hopefully we'll find

00:12:04.000 --> 00:12:06.000
a way to remove some of the

00:12:06.000 --> 00:12:08.000
partisanship create some effort

00:12:08.000 --> 00:12:11.000
to use commissions that may

00:12:11.000 --> 00:12:12.000
have equal numbers of Democrats

00:12:12.000 --> 00:12:14.000
and Republicans so that someone

00:12:14.000 --> 00:12:16.000
has to act in a manner to

00:12:16.000 --> 00:12:19.000
break a potential tie once we

00:12:19.000 --> 00:12:20.000
can do that then I think that

00:12:20.000 --> 00:12:22.000
we can begin to craft fairer

00:12:22.000 --> 00:12:24.000
districts where you really

00:12:24.000 --> 00:12:26.000
and truly do have an election

00:12:26.000 --> 00:12:29.000
between differing minds that

00:12:29.000 --> 00:12:30.000
will call some people from

00:12:30.000 --> 00:12:32.000
one side to be pulled over to

00:12:32.000 --> 00:12:33.000
the other in an effort to get

00:12:33.000 --> 00:12:35.000
the best of the two candidates

00:12:35.000 --> 00:12:36.000
rather than what we're doing

00:12:36.000 --> 00:12:39.000
today which is to elect the

00:12:39.000 --> 00:12:41.000
most Liberal Democrat or the

00:12:41.000 --> 00:12:44.000
most Conservative Republican

00:12:44.000 --> 00:12:45.000
the noisy voices are the ones

00:12:45.000 --> 00:12:47.000
that are being heard we need

00:12:47.000 --> 00:12:48.000
to find a way back to the

00:12:48.000 --> 00:12:50.000
middle so that we can solve

00:12:50.000 --> 00:12:51.000
the problems that our community

00:12:51.000 --> 00:12:53.000
faces I'm gonna stop talking now

00:12:54.000 --> 00:12:56.000
take over and tell you a little bit

00:12:56.000 --> 00:12:58.000
about who he is and then we're

00:12:58.000 --> 00:12:59.000
looking forward to answering

00:12:59.000 --> 00:12:62.000
your questions I really support

00:13:02.000 --> 00:13:06.000
what -- Nick says -- my name

00:13:06.000 --> 00:13:08.000
is Rod Chandler I grew up in

00:13:08.000 --> 00:13:10.000
Oregon to the east of here

00:13:10.000 --> 00:13:12.000
La Grande -- the Grande Ronde

00:13:12.000 --> 00:13:13.000
Valley actually I grew up on a

00:13:13.000 --> 00:13:16.000
small strawberry farm and --

00:13:16.000 --> 00:13:18.000
attended Eastern Oregon University

00:13:18.000 --> 00:13:20.000
for one year and

00:13:20.000 --> 00:13:22.000
completed my degree at

00:13:22.000 --> 00:13:24.000
Oregon State University just down the

00:13:24.000 --> 00:13:28.000
road -- you know it today I've

00:13:28.000 --> 00:13:30.000
neglected -- we've asked --

00:13:30.000 --> 00:13:32.000
who's inspired you along the

00:13:32.000 --> 00:13:34.000
way -- and of course Tom McCall

00:13:34.000 --> 00:13:36.000
former governor Tom McCall was

00:13:36.000 --> 00:13:39.000
a huge inspiration for me but

00:13:39.000 --> 00:13:41.000
there was a English teacher

00:13:41.000 --> 00:13:43.000
Mrs. Chapman at La Grande

00:13:43.000 --> 00:13:46.000
High School she was about as tall

00:13:46.000 --> 00:13:47.000
and about as wide as this

00:13:47.000 --> 00:13:51.000
podium I loved that lady she was

00:13:51.000 --> 00:13:53.000
passionate about the English

00:13:53.000 --> 00:13:56.000
language and she loved poetry

00:13:56.000 --> 00:13:59.000
and she had an exercise one day

00:13:59.000 --> 00:13:62.000
where well one unit where we all

00:14:02.000 --> 00:14:06.000
were to master and deliver a

00:14:06.000 --> 00:14:09.000
poem in front of the class now

00:14:09.000 --> 00:14:11.000
as much as I enjoyed speaking

00:14:11.000 --> 00:14:14.000
before people reading a poem

00:14:14.000 --> 00:14:16.000
my goodness Mrs. Chapman I am

00:14:16.000 --> 00:14:18.000
on the basketball team and in

00:14:18.000 --> 00:14:21.000
fact I'm the captain why do

00:14:21.000 --> 00:14:22.000
I have to read poetry in your

00:14:22.000 --> 00:14:24.000
class she took me out in the

00:14:24.000 --> 00:14:26.000
hallway and poked me in the

00:14:26.000 --> 00:14:29.000
chest and said Rod Chandler

00:14:29.000 --> 00:14:31.000
if you'd even live up to half

00:14:31.000 --> 00:14:33.000
your potential you'd really

00:14:33.000 --> 00:14:35.000
amount to something that was

00:14:38.000 --> 00:14:40.000
ago I remember those words as

00:14:40.000 --> 00:14:42.000
if they were spoken yesterday

00:14:42.000 --> 00:14:45.000
and that was an enormous vote of

00:14:45.000 --> 00:14:47.000
confidence for a young man

00:14:47.000 --> 00:14:50.000
whose parents both had eighth

00:14:50.000 --> 00:14:52.000
grade educations uncertain

00:14:52.000 --> 00:14:53.000
about what I would do with my

00:14:53.000 --> 00:14:56.000
future did I really have it to

00:14:56.000 --> 00:14:57.000
make it out there in that big

00:14:57.000 --> 00:14:60.000
world that seemed so scary to a

00:15:00.000 --> 00:15:02.000
kid from over there in eastern

00:15:02.000 --> 00:15:04.000
Oregon I'll bet by the time

00:15:04.000 --> 00:15:06.000
I was in high school I'd eaten in a

00:15:06.000 --> 00:15:08.000
restaurant five times that's

00:15:08.000 --> 00:15:10.000
how sheltered I was -- growing

00:15:10.000 --> 00:15:13.000
up over there but Mrs. Chapman

00:15:13.000 --> 00:15:15.000
kind of gave me that little

00:15:15.000 --> 00:15:17.000
bit of a confidence boost that

00:15:17.000 --> 00:15:19.000
I needed to go on and then

00:15:19.000 --> 00:15:21.000
with Tom McCall and others I

00:15:21.000 --> 00:15:24.000
was inspired to -- take up a

00:15:24.000 --> 00:15:27.000
position in politics when I

00:15:27.000 --> 00:15:29.000
left Oregon State University

00:15:29.000 --> 00:15:33.000
I -- went to Seattle and --

00:15:33.000 --> 00:15:35.000
became a journalist for

00:15:35.000 --> 00:15:37.000
KOMO TV news channel 4

00:15:37.000 --> 00:15:40.000
and -- KATU

00:15:40.000 --> 00:15:41.000
here in Portland is is

00:15:41.000 --> 00:15:45.000
a sister station of -- KOMO

00:15:45.000 --> 00:15:47.000
and I worked there for

00:15:47.000 --> 00:15:50.000
five years and part of my

00:15:52.000 --> 00:15:54.000
the legislature and as I did

00:15:54.000 --> 00:15:56.000
that I became more and more

00:15:56.000 --> 00:15:57.000
excited about the possibility

00:15:57.000 --> 00:15:60.000
of one day -- playing a role

00:16:00.000 --> 00:16:03.000
as an active politician and

00:16:03.000 --> 00:16:05.000
so in 1974

00:16:05.000 --> 00:16:08.000
I ran for the state House of

00:16:08.000 --> 00:16:10.000
Representatives and served

00:16:10.000 --> 00:16:13.000
there for the next eight years

00:16:13.000 --> 00:16:15.000
and was -- the Chairman of the

00:16:15.000 --> 00:16:16.000
Ways and Means Committee in my

00:16:16.000 --> 00:16:19.000
last term there was a new seat

00:16:19.000 --> 00:16:21.000
that came open in the state of

00:16:21.000 --> 00:16:25.000
Washington -- in -- 1982

00:16:25.000 --> 00:16:27.000
thanks to the census

00:16:27.000 --> 00:16:29.000
and states that were losing

00:16:29.000 --> 00:16:31.000
population ours was growing so

00:16:31.000 --> 00:16:33.000
we got a new seat so I had the

00:16:33.000 --> 00:16:36.000
opportunity to grow --

00:16:36.000 --> 00:16:39.000
run for an -- run for an

00:16:39.000 --> 00:16:42.000
open seat which was wonderful

00:16:42.000 --> 00:16:43.000
because I didn't have to run

00:16:43.000 --> 00:16:45.000
against an incumbent and I

00:16:45.000 --> 00:16:48.000
was able to win that seat in

00:16:49.000 --> 00:16:52.000
I served for -- the next ten

00:16:52.000 --> 00:16:54.000
years in the US Congress I

00:16:54.000 --> 00:16:56.000
served on the Ways and Means

00:16:56.000 --> 00:16:58.000
Committee my first assignment

00:17:01.000 --> 00:17:03.000
Technology Committee and one

00:17:03.000 --> 00:17:05.000
of the great thrills was I got

00:17:05.000 --> 00:17:07.000
to go out to California and see

00:17:07.000 --> 00:17:09.000
the Hubble telescope before it

00:17:09.000 --> 00:17:13.000
was launched into space so --

00:17:13.000 --> 00:17:14.000
and and I remember writing an

00:17:14.000 --> 00:17:16.000
article about it that was in

00:17:16.000 --> 00:17:19.000
Newsweek Magazine because

00:17:19.000 --> 00:17:21.000
I was so thrilled to see that

00:17:21.000 --> 00:17:23.000
piece of equipment that has

00:17:23.000 --> 00:17:26.000
added so much to our knowledge

00:17:26.000 --> 00:17:29.000
of space so that's enough

00:17:33.000 --> 00:17:36.000
in responding to questions

00:17:36.000 --> 00:17:37.000
so the way we're going

00:17:37.000 --> 00:17:38.000
to do this is we're handing

00:17:38.000 --> 00:17:40.000
around some index cards so if you

00:17:40.000 --> 00:17:42.000
have a question -- write your

00:17:42.000 --> 00:17:44.000
question on those index cards

00:17:44.000 --> 00:17:45.000
and pass them to the inner aisle

00:17:45.000 --> 00:17:48.000
so we'll collect those -- and

00:17:48.000 --> 00:17:50.000
while you're doing that I have a few

00:17:50.000 --> 00:17:52.000
prepared questions that we

00:17:52.000 --> 00:17:53.000
have just to kind of get things

00:17:53.000 --> 00:17:55.000
started so first this goes

00:17:55.000 --> 00:17:57.000
out to both of you what was

00:17:57.000 --> 00:17:59.000
the most surprising or what

00:17:59.000 --> 00:17:61.000
was most surprising to you as

00:18:01.000 --> 00:18:03.000
newly elected representatives

00:18:03.000 --> 00:18:05.000
when you first got office what was

00:18:05.000 --> 00:18:06.000
kind of the most surprising

00:18:06.000 --> 00:18:07.000
thing that you what inspired

00:18:07.000 --> 00:18:09.000
me what was the most surprising

00:18:09.000 --> 00:18:11.000
thing to you oh most

00:18:11.000 --> 00:18:13.000
most surprising thing in as a

00:18:13.000 --> 00:18:16.000
newly elected service in the Congress --

00:18:16.000 --> 00:18:17.000
the most surprising when you

00:18:17.000 --> 00:18:21.000
first got there I think --

00:18:23.000 --> 00:18:24.000
much expected not to be able

00:18:24.000 --> 00:18:27.000
to be received -- and appointed

00:18:27.000 --> 00:18:28.000
to a big committee and have

00:18:28.000 --> 00:18:30.000
opportunity to -- immediately

00:18:30.000 --> 00:18:34.000
become a part of -- of the

00:18:34.000 --> 00:18:35.000
business of of the Congress

00:18:35.000 --> 00:18:38.000
right off -- perhaps the most

00:18:38.000 --> 00:18:39.000
surprising thing that happened

00:18:39.000 --> 00:18:41.000
to me was that I was able to

00:18:41.000 --> 00:18:43.000
find a niche that I could step

00:18:43.000 --> 00:18:45.000
into and actually accomplish

00:18:45.000 --> 00:18:47.000
something with shortly after

00:18:47.000 --> 00:18:49.000
I arrived three months after

00:18:49.000 --> 00:18:51.000
I was sworn in a little girl

00:18:51.000 --> 00:18:53.000
was abducted and murdered in my

00:18:53.000 --> 00:18:54.000
congressional district not far

00:18:54.000 --> 00:18:56.000
from my home and -- it became

00:18:56.000 --> 00:18:59.000
such a -- a broad -- widely

00:18:59.000 --> 00:18:61.000
supported effort to look for

00:19:01.000 --> 00:19:02.000
her body while she was missing

00:19:04.000 --> 00:19:05.000
a politician certainly I gotta

00:19:05.000 --> 00:19:06.000
get home and and get in front

00:19:06.000 --> 00:19:08.000
of the cameras right -- and so I

00:19:08.000 --> 00:19:10.000
went down there with very self

00:19:10.000 --> 00:19:12.000
serving interests but as I was

00:19:12.000 --> 00:19:14.000
there and participated in the

00:19:14.000 --> 00:19:17.000
search and happened to be there

00:19:17.000 --> 00:19:18.000
at the time when they found her

00:19:18.000 --> 00:19:19.000
body in pieces in a drainage

00:19:19.000 --> 00:19:21.000
ditch and when her parents were

00:19:21.000 --> 00:19:24.000
told about that -- it moved

00:19:24.000 --> 00:19:28.000
me so much that I wanted to --

00:19:28.000 --> 00:19:30.000
go back to Washington DC and

00:19:30.000 --> 00:19:32.000
make a difference on that issue

00:19:32.000 --> 00:19:33.000
because I knew that there were

00:19:33.000 --> 00:19:36.000
many other -- similar kinds

00:19:36.000 --> 00:19:39.000
of exploitation and -- and

00:19:39.000 --> 00:19:41.000
and abductive type activities

00:19:41.000 --> 00:19:43.000
that were happening to young children

00:19:43.000 --> 00:19:44.000
across the country and the

00:19:44.000 --> 00:19:47.000
world for that matter so --

00:19:47.000 --> 00:19:49.000
in studying -- this issue with

00:19:49.000 --> 00:19:52.000
my staff I was able to come up

00:19:52.000 --> 00:19:54.000
with the idea that we ought to

00:19:54.000 --> 00:19:57.000
have a caucus a concentration

00:19:57.000 --> 00:19:59.000
of -- the effort to try to

00:19:59.000 --> 00:19:60.000
come up with legislation or

00:20:00.000 --> 00:20:02.000
suggestions for legislation

00:20:02.000 --> 00:20:03.000
regarding missing and exploited

00:20:03.000 --> 00:20:06.000
children so I decided to create

00:20:06.000 --> 00:20:07.000
the congressional caucus on

00:20:07.000 --> 00:20:08.000
missing and exploited children

00:20:08.000 --> 00:20:10.000
in 1997 and

00:20:10.000 --> 00:20:12.000
by June we had completed the

00:20:12.000 --> 00:20:14.000
paperwork we had gotten the

00:20:14.000 --> 00:20:15.000
permission from the leaders of

00:20:15.000 --> 00:20:17.000
the House of Representatives

00:20:17.000 --> 00:20:19.000
and I found a Republican

00:20:19.000 --> 00:20:21.000
counterpart who was willing

00:20:21.000 --> 00:20:23.000
to be my co-chair of this

00:20:23.000 --> 00:20:26.000
caucus and we set out trying

00:20:26.000 --> 00:20:27.000
to raise the level of awareness

00:20:27.000 --> 00:20:29.000
about these issues to our

00:20:29.000 --> 00:20:30.000
colleagues by the end of the

00:20:30.000 --> 00:20:32.000
year we had the largest issue

00:20:32.000 --> 00:20:35.000
based bipartisan caucus in

00:20:35.000 --> 00:20:36.000
the House of Representatives

00:20:36.000 --> 00:20:37.000
there were over a hundred

00:20:37.000 --> 00:20:40.000
and fifty six members of

00:20:40.000 --> 00:20:43.000
that -- of of that caucus and

00:20:43.000 --> 00:20:45.000
over the next several years

00:20:45.000 --> 00:20:47.000
we made a lot of headway on

00:20:47.000 --> 00:20:49.000
legislation that had to do

00:20:49.000 --> 00:20:50.000
with how the internet is used

00:20:50.000 --> 00:20:52.000
to lure children from their

00:20:52.000 --> 00:20:56.000
homes -- how pornography is handled in

00:20:56.000 --> 00:20:57.000
many different circumstances

00:20:57.000 --> 00:20:59.000
particularly with the FBI

00:20:59.000 --> 00:20:60.000
today and the growth of the

00:21:00.000 --> 00:21:01.000
National Center for Missing

00:21:01.000 --> 00:21:03.000
and Exploited Children and

00:21:03.000 --> 00:21:04.000
being able to find children who

00:21:04.000 --> 00:21:06.000
are who are taken from their

00:21:06.000 --> 00:21:08.000
families and probably the best

00:21:08.000 --> 00:21:10.000
known piece of legislation that

00:21:10.000 --> 00:21:11.000
we had was the nationalization

00:21:11.000 --> 00:21:15.000
of the of the Amber Alert --

00:21:20.000 --> 00:21:23.000
that kind of thing happen that

00:21:23.000 --> 00:21:26.000
quickly in my in my service

00:21:27.000 --> 00:21:29.000
maybe that's my best surprise

00:21:29.000 --> 00:21:30.000
that happened in the first year

00:21:30.000 --> 00:21:34.000
there I was really surprised

00:21:34.000 --> 00:21:36.000
and pleasantly so when I got

00:21:36.000 --> 00:21:38.000
to Congress and discovered

00:21:38.000 --> 00:21:40.000
the quality of the members

00:21:40.000 --> 00:21:42.000
from both sides of the aisle

00:21:45.000 --> 00:21:48.000
Senate so -- well educated

00:21:48.000 --> 00:21:51.000
so bright so articulate -- it

00:21:51.000 --> 00:21:54.000
was hard sometimes not to feel

00:21:54.000 --> 00:21:57.000
do I really belong here just

00:21:57.000 --> 00:21:59.000
looking at this incredible

00:21:59.000 --> 00:21:62.000
store of talent on both sides

00:22:04.000 --> 00:22:08.000
the House and the Senate that

00:22:08.000 --> 00:22:09.000
members of Congress when there

00:22:12.000 --> 00:22:15.000
and criticize the Congress

00:22:15.000 --> 00:22:17.000
itself and that's unfortunate

00:22:17.000 --> 00:22:18.000
because it gives Congress a

00:22:18.000 --> 00:22:21.000
bad reputation when I got there

00:22:21.000 --> 00:22:23.000
I had that view that oh gosh

00:22:23.000 --> 00:22:25.000
I'm not sure I even want to be

00:22:25.000 --> 00:22:26.000
a part of this group man I'll

00:22:26.000 --> 00:22:28.000
tell you it was a wonderful

00:22:28.000 --> 00:22:31.000
surprise to see how capable

00:22:31.000 --> 00:22:34.000
many of those people were and

00:22:34.000 --> 00:22:35.000
dedicated to what they were

00:22:35.000 --> 00:22:39.000
doing alright so one more question

00:22:39.000 --> 00:22:40.000
then we'll turn it over to audience

00:22:40.000 --> 00:22:42.000
questions if there's one thing

00:22:42.000 --> 00:22:43.000
you could change about how

00:22:43.000 --> 00:22:45.000
the media portrays politics

00:22:45.000 --> 00:22:47.000
and our government what would

00:22:47.000 --> 00:22:49.000
it be and why me go first

00:22:49.000 --> 00:22:51.000
because you -- oh I'd be happy

00:22:51.000 --> 00:22:53.000
to I it won't take me long

00:22:53.000 --> 00:22:54.000
the thing I would do if I

00:22:54.000 --> 00:22:57.000
could change the news media

00:22:57.000 --> 00:22:62.000
would be to have -- the media

00:23:02.000 --> 00:23:05.000
concentrate on the issues --

00:23:05.000 --> 00:23:07.000
and less on the personalities

00:23:07.000 --> 00:23:11.000
and the politics -- of -- of

00:23:11.000 --> 00:23:13.000
the Congress and -- and the

00:23:13.000 --> 00:23:15.000
presidency what we need to do

00:23:15.000 --> 00:23:17.000
is we need to solve problems

00:23:17.000 --> 00:23:20.000
and I see today -- journalists

00:23:20.000 --> 00:23:22.000
interviewing journalists on

00:23:22.000 --> 00:23:24.000
television that doesn't make

00:23:24.000 --> 00:23:26.000
any sense at all the American

00:23:26.000 --> 00:23:28.000
people need to understand how

00:23:28.000 --> 00:23:31.000
severe -- -- -- and threatening

00:23:31.000 --> 00:23:34.000
our debt is just as one example

00:23:34.000 --> 00:23:37.000
they need to hear discussions

00:23:37.000 --> 00:23:40.000
of healthcare in detail enough

00:23:40.000 --> 00:23:42.000
that they realize yes there are

00:23:42.000 --> 00:23:44.000
solutions but they're not easy

00:23:44.000 --> 00:23:47.000
and there are various interests

00:23:47.000 --> 00:23:48.000
that are going to have to

00:23:48.000 --> 00:23:49.000
be affected if we're going

00:23:49.000 --> 00:23:52.000
to make major changes to the

00:23:52.000 --> 00:23:54.000
healthcare system but instead

00:23:54.000 --> 00:23:58.000
what journalists tend to --

00:23:58.000 --> 00:23:62.000
emphasize is of the horse race

00:24:02.000 --> 00:24:03.000
here's who's leading here's

00:24:03.000 --> 00:24:05.000
what the polls say here's what

00:24:05.000 --> 00:24:08.000
the here's who -- won in the

00:24:08.000 --> 00:24:11.000
debate that kind of stuff I'd

00:24:11.000 --> 00:24:14.000
like to see that changed we

00:24:14.000 --> 00:24:16.000
have to stop the division and

00:24:16.000 --> 00:24:17.000
address the division of the

00:24:17.000 --> 00:24:19.000
whole nation and there are a number

00:24:19.000 --> 00:24:20.000
ways that -- that that it

00:24:20.000 --> 00:24:22.000
that it can be done obviously

00:24:22.000 --> 00:24:24.000
the media and that what we

00:24:24.000 --> 00:24:26.000
perceive today to be -- the

00:24:26.000 --> 00:24:30.000
media -- has to has to change

00:24:30.000 --> 00:24:33.000
but we also have to -- be

00:24:33.000 --> 00:24:37.000
aware of what has come from the

00:24:37.000 --> 00:24:39.000
change in journalism in the

00:24:39.000 --> 00:24:41.000
country we don't know how to

00:24:41.000 --> 00:24:43.000
get good information anymore

00:24:43.000 --> 00:24:44.000
and so we seem to respond to

00:24:44.000 --> 00:24:46.000
the loudest voices at each of

00:24:46.000 --> 00:24:49.000
the two extremes and that was

00:24:49.000 --> 00:24:51.000
done intentionally for us I

00:24:51.000 --> 00:24:53.000
want to read something I have

00:24:53.000 --> 00:24:54.000
a book that I published two

00:24:54.000 --> 00:24:56.000
years ago that is entitled

00:24:56.000 --> 00:24:59.000
The Death of Washington's Democracy

00:24:59.000 --> 00:24:60.000
with a question mark I don't

00:25:00.000 --> 00:25:02.000
believe that democracy is dead

00:25:02.000 --> 00:25:03.000
but I made the premise of my

00:25:03.000 --> 00:25:05.000
book what George Washington

00:25:05.000 --> 00:25:07.000
said at the end of his term

00:25:07.000 --> 00:25:08.000
in the White House in his

00:25:08.000 --> 00:25:09.000
farewell address when he said

00:25:09.000 --> 00:25:11.000
that should we should not

00:25:11.000 --> 00:25:12.000
allow political parties to

00:25:12.000 --> 00:25:13.000
become more important than

00:25:13.000 --> 00:25:15.000
the Congress or if we do your

00:25:15.000 --> 00:25:16.000
your congress will not be able

00:25:16.000 --> 00:25:18.000
to function so if we don't

00:25:18.000 --> 00:25:20.000
correct that if we don't find

00:25:20.000 --> 00:25:22.000
the way back to the middle and

00:25:22.000 --> 00:25:23.000
the solutions that our founding

00:25:23.000 --> 00:25:25.000
fathers intended us to be doing

00:25:25.000 --> 00:25:26.000
then we're not going to have a

00:25:26.000 --> 00:25:28.000
democracy and we won't be able

00:25:28.000 --> 00:25:30.000
to resolve any of the problems

00:25:30.000 --> 00:25:33.000
that face us and so with regard

00:25:33.000 --> 00:25:36.000
to the the media and how it

00:25:36.000 --> 00:25:37.000
functions let me read you a

00:25:37.000 --> 00:25:40.000
passage that I copied from

00:25:40.000 --> 00:25:42.000
a book that was written by

00:25:42.000 --> 00:25:44.000
Gabriel Sherman when he wrote

00:25:44.000 --> 00:25:46.000
the biography of Roger Ailes

00:25:46.000 --> 00:25:48.000
who happened to have been the

00:25:48.000 --> 00:25:50.000
the communications director

00:25:50.000 --> 00:25:52.000
for President Ronald Reagan

00:25:52.000 --> 00:25:54.000
he said what -- what Roger

00:25:54.000 --> 00:25:55.000
Ailes did when he created Fox

00:25:55.000 --> 00:25:57.000
News was to create a television

00:25:57.000 --> 00:25:59.000
news network that was anti

00:25:59.000 --> 00:25:61.000
journalism and so what he did

00:26:01.000 --> 00:26:03.000
with Fox News was to create it

00:26:03.000 --> 00:26:04.000
as a political campaign that

00:26:04.000 --> 00:26:07.000
would run against the American

00:26:07.000 --> 00:26:09.000
media that would -- could

00:26:09.000 --> 00:26:10.000
that would convince millions

00:26:10.000 --> 00:26:12.000
of Americans not to trust the

00:26:12.000 --> 00:26:15.000
mainstream so called mainstream

00:26:15.000 --> 00:26:16.000
media and that Fox News would

00:26:16.000 --> 00:26:18.000
be the only place on television

00:26:18.000 --> 00:26:21.000
where you could find the truth

00:26:21.000 --> 00:26:22.000
it was a brilliant marketing

00:26:22.000 --> 00:26:23.000
and political message that

00:26:23.000 --> 00:26:26.000
created a loyal core of viewers

00:26:26.000 --> 00:26:27.000
and so the impact that it's

00:26:27.000 --> 00:26:29.000
had on American life over the

00:26:29.000 --> 00:26:30.000
last twenty years now much

00:26:30.000 --> 00:26:32.000
longer than that is almost

00:26:32.000 --> 00:26:34.000
impossible to overstate and so

00:26:34.000 --> 00:26:36.000
my point in that is to

00:26:36.000 --> 00:26:40.000
agree with what Rod said we

00:26:40.000 --> 00:26:41.000
have to change the media but

00:26:41.000 --> 00:26:43.000
it changes through us we have

00:26:43.000 --> 00:26:45.000
to recognize that we need to be

00:26:45.000 --> 00:26:47.000
thinking for ourselves we don't

00:26:47.000 --> 00:26:48.000
need to accept the Talking

00:26:48.000 --> 00:26:51.000
Heads radio TV and otherwise

00:26:51.000 --> 00:26:52.000
who are doing nothing more

00:26:52.000 --> 00:26:54.000
than spouting either there's or

00:26:54.000 --> 00:26:56.000
someone else's opinion taking

00:26:56.000 --> 00:26:58.000
away our opportunity to find

00:26:58.000 --> 00:26:61.000
out what our truth should be

00:27:01.000 --> 00:27:04.000
very difficult but it's still

00:27:04.000 --> 00:27:05.000
something that we did for the

00:27:05.000 --> 00:27:06.000
first couple hundred years of

00:27:06.000 --> 00:27:08.000
our history and we need to do

00:27:08.000 --> 00:27:10.000
it again all right so I'm gonna

00:27:10.000 --> 00:27:11.000
read it in the mic and then

00:27:11.000 --> 00:27:12.000
I'm going to read it to you

00:27:12.000 --> 00:27:15.000
good thank you -- how do you

00:27:15.000 --> 00:27:17.000
deal with personal attacks any

00:27:17.000 --> 00:27:19.000
advice on how to take how to

00:27:19.000 --> 00:27:21.000
not take things personally I

00:27:21.000 --> 00:27:25.000
hadn't gotten there yet -- and the

00:27:25.000 --> 00:27:27.000
personal attacks that -- that

00:27:27.000 --> 00:27:30.000
I get I typically -- see on the

00:27:30.000 --> 00:27:32.000
face of my wife who is sitting

00:27:32.000 --> 00:27:33.000
here on the front row or my

00:27:33.000 --> 00:27:35.000
children which makes it one

00:27:35.000 --> 00:27:36.000
of the most difficult things

00:27:36.000 --> 00:27:38.000
in politics it's the families

00:27:38.000 --> 00:27:40.000
often times that suffer more

00:27:40.000 --> 00:27:43.000
than the -- than than the the

00:27:43.000 --> 00:27:47.000
office holders -- because most

00:27:47.000 --> 00:27:48.000
of the time while there may be

00:27:48.000 --> 00:27:50.000
something negative said about

00:27:50.000 --> 00:27:52.000
us or to us there are also

00:27:52.000 --> 00:27:54.000
many opportunities to hear

00:27:54.000 --> 00:27:55.000
positive things that are said

00:27:55.000 --> 00:27:58.000
about us or to us the family

00:27:58.000 --> 00:27:59.000
doesn't always get that in the

00:27:59.000 --> 00:27:61.000
same way that the candidate does

00:28:03.000 --> 00:28:05.000
gotten thicker in many many

00:28:05.000 --> 00:28:08.000
years 48 years of my

00:28:08.000 --> 00:28:11.000
political career -- and I'm not

00:28:11.000 --> 00:28:13.000
sure it ever will -- it's

00:28:13.000 --> 00:28:15.000
gotten so ugly in recent years

00:28:15.000 --> 00:28:17.000
as much as I have wanted to

00:28:17.000 --> 00:28:20.000
hold public office even now I

00:28:20.000 --> 00:28:23.000
say often that if I came home

00:28:23.000 --> 00:28:25.000
and told my wife that I was

00:28:25.000 --> 00:28:26.000
going to run again she'd use

00:28:26.000 --> 00:28:28.000
the knives that my daughters

00:28:28.000 --> 00:28:30.000
are carrying to kill me

00:28:30.000 --> 00:28:32.000
to make sure that I don't -- and it

00:28:32.000 --> 00:28:34.000
shouldn't be that way -- it

00:28:34.000 --> 00:28:36.000
it should be an honor and a

00:28:36.000 --> 00:28:38.000
pleasure to serve our community

00:28:38.000 --> 00:28:40.000
and to be able to step up and

00:28:40.000 --> 00:28:42.000
carry your voices to a place

00:28:42.000 --> 00:28:44.000
where we can make fun things

00:28:44.000 --> 00:28:46.000
interesting things positive

00:28:46.000 --> 00:28:48.000
things happen -- for ourselves

00:28:48.000 --> 00:28:51.000
and for our for our communities

00:28:51.000 --> 00:28:53.000
that's a good answer and

00:28:55.000 --> 00:28:58.000
politician as difficult as it

00:28:58.000 --> 00:28:61.000
is it is always best to ignore

00:29:01.000 --> 00:29:04.000
the opponent's attack because

00:29:04.000 --> 00:29:07.000
if you respond to it then you

00:29:07.000 --> 00:29:09.000
give it life it's going to go

00:29:09.000 --> 00:29:11.000
on then it gives them a chance

00:29:11.000 --> 00:29:14.000
to respond and then you respond

00:29:14.000 --> 00:29:16.000
one of the things that I've

00:29:16.000 --> 00:29:17.000
noticed about -- President

00:29:17.000 --> 00:29:20.000
Trump is that he is very --

00:29:20.000 --> 00:29:24.000
appears to be very sensitive

00:29:24.000 --> 00:29:26.000
very thin skinned and anybody

00:29:26.000 --> 00:29:28.000
who says anything critical of him

00:29:28.000 --> 00:29:30.000
will get a response what does

00:29:30.000 --> 00:29:32.000
that do very often you don't

00:29:32.000 --> 00:29:33.000
even know anything was said

00:29:33.000 --> 00:29:35.000
until you see the President's

00:29:35.000 --> 00:29:38.000
response and that just never

00:29:38.000 --> 00:29:41.000
works politically do you think

00:29:41.000 --> 00:29:43.000
another four years of a Trump

00:29:43.000 --> 00:29:45.000
presidency presidency will

00:29:45.000 --> 00:29:47.000
cause the Republican Party

00:29:47.000 --> 00:29:50.000
to split I do and I'm very

00:29:50.000 --> 00:29:53.000
very concerned about that --

00:29:53.000 --> 00:29:55.000
there's no chance of nominating

00:29:55.000 --> 00:29:58.000
another -- candidate -- this

00:29:58.000 --> 00:29:60.000
year other than President

00:30:00.000 --> 00:30:04.000
Trump -- I being an Oregonian

00:30:04.000 --> 00:30:06.000
living here in Oregon when

00:30:09.000 --> 00:30:11.000
register as a Democrat so that

00:30:11.000 --> 00:30:13.000
I can vote in the Democratic

00:30:13.000 --> 00:30:16.000
Primary and to have a voice

00:30:16.000 --> 00:30:18.000
in hopefully selecting a

00:30:18.000 --> 00:30:20.000
candidate that is going to be

00:30:20.000 --> 00:30:22.000
able to defeat Donald Trump

00:30:22.000 --> 00:30:24.000
because I'm concerned more about

00:30:24.000 --> 00:30:26.000
my country than I am about

00:30:26.000 --> 00:30:28.000
my political party but I can

00:30:28.000 --> 00:30:30.000
tell you that -- whether

00:30:30.000 --> 00:30:32.000
the party splits it's very

00:30:32.000 --> 00:30:35.000
much split now with a very

00:30:35.000 --> 00:30:38.000
loud and angry voice that we

00:30:38.000 --> 00:30:41.000
hear all the time and a baffled

00:30:41.000 --> 00:30:44.000
confused frustrated voice that

00:30:44.000 --> 00:30:45.000
we don't hear very much voices

00:30:45.000 --> 00:30:51.000
like mine -- so I am I am

00:30:51.000 --> 00:30:53.000
hoping that perhaps even there

00:30:53.000 --> 00:30:55.000
will be a creation of a third

00:30:55.000 --> 00:30:58.000
party to which people like

00:30:58.000 --> 00:30:60.000
Congressman Lampson and I could

00:31:00.000 --> 00:31:02.000
belong to and we could carve

00:31:02.000 --> 00:31:06.000
off the extremes and and -- and

00:31:06.000 --> 00:31:10.000
coalesce around the middle

00:31:10.000 --> 00:31:13.000
you wanna start that party

00:31:13.000 --> 00:31:14.000
let's -- let's think of a

00:31:14.000 --> 00:31:19.000
name I think -- I have to

00:31:19.000 --> 00:31:20.000
to share that I've gotten to

00:31:20.000 --> 00:31:22.000
know him in the last day and a

00:31:22.000 --> 00:31:25.000
half much better than what

00:31:25.000 --> 00:31:27.000
I've known him in the past and

00:31:27.000 --> 00:31:30.000
I -- I know that he served at

00:31:30.000 --> 00:31:32.000
a time when the Congress had a

00:31:32.000 --> 00:31:34.000
completely different level of

00:31:34.000 --> 00:31:38.000
civility -- and it was fun to

00:31:38.000 --> 00:31:40.000
serve and it'd begun to change

00:31:40.000 --> 00:31:42.000
when I got there but it was

00:31:42.000 --> 00:31:44.000
even still fun to serve at the

00:31:44.000 --> 00:31:46.000
beginning of of my ten years

00:31:46.000 --> 00:31:48.000
but by the time 2001

00:31:52.000 --> 00:31:54.000
ago now -- it had deteriorated

00:31:54.000 --> 00:31:55.000
to the point where members of

00:31:55.000 --> 00:31:57.000
Congress were starting to call

00:31:57.000 --> 00:31:60.000
other offices of the opposite

00:32:00.000 --> 00:32:03.000
party members to find out what

00:32:03.000 --> 00:32:05.000
on so they wouldn't have to

00:32:05.000 --> 00:32:07.000
be on the same airplane with

00:32:07.000 --> 00:32:09.000
their quote enemy and if you

00:32:09.000 --> 00:32:11.000
can't talk with one another

00:32:14.000 --> 00:32:15.000
gonna certainly not be able

00:32:15.000 --> 00:32:17.000
to talk to them about major

00:32:17.000 --> 00:32:19.000
policy when you have to find

00:32:19.000 --> 00:32:22.000
ways to to create -- acceptance

00:32:22.000 --> 00:32:25.000
among your differences so -- I

00:32:25.000 --> 00:32:26.000
think it's important for us to

00:32:26.000 --> 00:32:28.000
consider the things that both

00:32:28.000 --> 00:32:31.000
of us bring to this -- it 

00:32:31.000 --> 00:32:33.000
it I look forward to being able

00:32:33.000 --> 00:32:35.000
to serve in a Congress that

00:32:35.000 --> 00:32:36.000
much was like what he served

00:32:36.000 --> 00:32:39.000
in -- during those years --

00:32:39.000 --> 00:32:40.000
they were doing things they

00:32:40.000 --> 00:32:42.000
were doing magnificent things

00:32:44.000 --> 00:32:45.000
far as space is concerned and

00:32:45.000 --> 00:32:47.000
space growth and science which

00:32:47.000 --> 00:32:48.000
I'm very much interested in

00:32:51.000 --> 00:32:52.000
occurrences within our with

00:32:52.000 --> 00:32:54.000
within our Congress during that

00:32:56.000 --> 00:32:58.000
it began to change it changed

00:32:58.000 --> 00:32:60.000
with airline travel because

00:33:00.000 --> 00:33:01.000
members of Congress to be able

00:33:01.000 --> 00:33:03.000
to go home every weekend -- so

00:33:03.000 --> 00:33:05.000
instead of staying there and

00:33:05.000 --> 00:33:06.000
letting their families get to

00:33:06.000 --> 00:33:08.000
know each other his children

00:33:08.000 --> 00:33:10.000
actually went to high school in

00:33:10.000 --> 00:33:14.000
Washington DC mine did not --

00:33:17.000 --> 00:33:18.000
if we had been able to serve

00:33:18.000 --> 00:33:20.000
together and my children

00:33:20.000 --> 00:33:22.000
knew his children it'd be very

00:33:22.000 --> 00:33:23.000
difficult for me to get up and

00:33:23.000 --> 00:33:25.000
say something ugly about him

00:33:25.000 --> 00:33:26.000
in front of the world or even

00:33:26.000 --> 00:33:28.000
in front of the Congress and

00:33:28.000 --> 00:33:31.000
vice versa if I don't know him

00:33:31.000 --> 00:33:33.000
or his family it's very easy

00:33:33.000 --> 00:33:34.000
for me to stand there and say

00:33:34.000 --> 00:33:35.000
all the ugly stuff I want to

00:33:35.000 --> 00:33:37.000
about him and if he wants to

00:33:37.000 --> 00:33:38.000
shout back at me who cares

00:33:38.000 --> 00:33:41.000
he's irrelevant he's that's

00:33:41.000 --> 00:33:43.000
not what our founding fathers

00:33:43.000 --> 00:33:44.000
wanted us to have they wanted

00:33:44.000 --> 00:33:46.000
us to have a participating

00:33:46.000 --> 00:33:49.000
minority willing to accept

00:33:49.000 --> 00:33:51.000
the will of the majority and

00:33:51.000 --> 00:33:52.000
continue to fight for the

00:33:52.000 --> 00:33:53.000
things that they want to see

00:33:53.000 --> 00:33:56.000
to see us grow to what are your

00:33:56.000 --> 00:33:58.000
thoughts on President Trump's

00:33:58.000 --> 00:33:60.000
new immigration policies --

00:34:00.000 --> 00:34:02.000
do you feel that any of them

00:34:02.000 --> 00:34:04.000
are borderline lawbreaking

00:34:04.000 --> 00:34:06.000
borderline I'm not sure it

00:34:06.000 --> 00:34:10.000
maybe let me start -- my family

00:34:10.000 --> 00:34:11.000
is a family of immigrants

00:34:11.000 --> 00:34:12.000
I'm the second generation of

00:34:12.000 --> 00:34:14.000
my family born in the United

00:34:14.000 --> 00:34:16.000
States of America and I know

00:34:16.000 --> 00:34:17.000
why they came here they came

00:34:17.000 --> 00:34:19.000
here in search of a better

00:34:19.000 --> 00:34:21.000
life of -- of what has been

00:34:21.000 --> 00:34:22.000
known around the world for

00:34:22.000 --> 00:34:25.000
decades as the American dream

00:34:27.000 --> 00:34:31.000
Louisiana to replace the jobs

00:34:31.000 --> 00:34:33.000
that were being left by slaves

00:34:33.000 --> 00:34:36.000
that mostly -- harvested sugar

00:34:36.000 --> 00:34:38.000
cane -- throughout the south

00:34:38.000 --> 00:34:40.000
particularly in Louisiana but

00:34:40.000 --> 00:34:42.000
they came because there were

00:34:42.000 --> 00:34:44.000
better opportunities for jobs

00:34:44.000 --> 00:34:47.000
even labor related jobs in the

00:34:47.000 --> 00:34:48.000
United States than there were

00:34:48.000 --> 00:34:50.000
in Sicily where they had lived

00:34:50.000 --> 00:34:54.000
in Italy -- the opportunity

00:34:54.000 --> 00:34:56.000
that they brought to their

00:34:56.000 --> 00:34:58.000
children and grandchildren

00:34:58.000 --> 00:34:62.000
was enormous and the fact that

00:35:02.000 --> 00:35:04.000
my mother got to sit in the

00:35:04.000 --> 00:35:06.000
gallery of the US House of

00:35:06.000 --> 00:35:09.000
Representatives after -- the

00:35:09.000 --> 00:35:12.000
life that she had lived -- on

00:35:12.000 --> 00:35:14.000
their small little cotton farm

00:35:14.000 --> 00:35:16.000
in Stafford Texas outside of

00:35:16.000 --> 00:35:19.000
Houston -- and not even knowing

00:35:19.000 --> 00:35:20.000
how to speak English until she

00:35:20.000 --> 00:35:22.000
was a teenager not being able

00:35:22.000 --> 00:35:24.000
to get an education but yet to

00:35:24.000 --> 00:35:26.000
see her son sworn in into the

00:35:26.000 --> 00:35:28.000
House of Representatives which

00:35:28.000 --> 00:35:29.000
is one of the highest offices

00:35:29.000 --> 00:35:32.000
in the land was a thrill to

00:35:32.000 --> 00:35:35.000
me and it is the epitome of

00:35:35.000 --> 00:35:37.000
what we all everyone of our

00:35:37.000 --> 00:35:38.000
families has roots that go

00:35:38.000 --> 00:35:40.000
back to a point where we want

00:35:40.000 --> 00:35:43.000
to welcome the best from the

00:35:43.000 --> 00:35:45.000
world into our community and

00:35:45.000 --> 00:35:46.000
the diversity that we have

00:35:46.000 --> 00:35:48.000
brought over those decades is

00:35:48.000 --> 00:35:50.000
what created our strength --

00:35:50.000 --> 00:35:52.000
we were able to capitalize on

00:35:52.000 --> 00:35:54.000
the knowledge that people had

00:35:54.000 --> 00:35:56.000
from unbelievable backgrounds

00:35:56.000 --> 00:35:58.000
to build something that has

00:35:58.000 --> 00:35:61.000
that that has -- been the --

00:36:01.000 --> 00:36:04.000
the desire of probably most of

00:36:04.000 --> 00:36:05.000
the countries in the world to

00:36:05.000 --> 00:36:09.000
emulate and now we are sending

00:36:09.000 --> 00:36:10.000
a different message we don't

00:36:10.000 --> 00:36:11.000
want you here and I think

00:36:11.000 --> 00:36:13.000
that's wrong it's certainly not

00:36:13.000 --> 00:36:17.000
what we want probably the least

00:36:17.000 --> 00:36:18.000
effective thing that we can

00:36:18.000 --> 00:36:21.000
do is build walls I'm just

00:36:21.000 --> 00:36:22.000
adamantly opposed to that the

00:36:22.000 --> 00:36:25.000
spending that it requires what

00:36:25.000 --> 00:36:31.000
if a president decided to go

00:36:31.000 --> 00:36:33.000
to the organization of American

00:36:33.000 --> 00:36:34.000
states and other countries in

00:36:34.000 --> 00:36:38.000
the world said let's create

00:36:38.000 --> 00:36:41.000
a Central America and Mexico

00:36:41.000 --> 00:36:43.000
where people don't have to

00:36:43.000 --> 00:36:46.000
want to leave and I am I am

00:36:46.000 --> 00:36:49.000
an idealist I admit it maybe

00:36:49.000 --> 00:36:51.000
that's totally unrealistic well

00:36:51.000 --> 00:36:54.000
why the hell not try because

00:36:54.000 --> 00:36:56.000
building a wall isn't going

00:36:56.000 --> 00:36:57.000
to keep desperate people from

00:36:57.000 --> 00:36:59.000
coming and trying to come into

00:36:59.000 --> 00:36:62.000
this nation and I have such a

00:37:02.000 --> 00:37:05.000
tremendous respect for those

00:37:05.000 --> 00:37:07.000
people and what they want for

00:37:07.000 --> 00:37:09.000
themselves and their families

00:37:09.000 --> 00:37:11.000
and I see them every day in my

00:37:11.000 --> 00:37:14.000
community what are they doing

00:37:14.000 --> 00:37:15.000
working what are they doing

00:37:15.000 --> 00:37:18.000
on Sunday worshipping what

00:37:18.000 --> 00:37:19.000
are they doing Sunday afternoon

00:37:19.000 --> 00:37:20.000
getting their families

00:37:20.000 --> 00:37:22.000
together and celebrating the

00:37:22.000 --> 00:37:24.000
love and the care they have

00:37:24.000 --> 00:37:25.000
for one another's they're

00:37:25.000 --> 00:37:26.000
not terrorists they're not

00:37:26.000 --> 00:37:29.000
criminals except in a few very

00:37:29.000 --> 00:37:32.000
few cases we need to welcome

00:37:32.000 --> 00:37:34.000
these people and let them

00:37:34.000 --> 00:37:36.000
know that they're valued as

00:37:36.000 --> 00:37:37.000
hopefully future citizens of

00:37:37.000 --> 00:37:40.000
this country now admittedly

00:37:40.000 --> 00:37:42.000
we can't take everybody who

00:37:42.000 --> 00:37:43.000
wants to come here there --

00:37:43.000 --> 00:37:45.000
there has to be a limit of

00:37:45.000 --> 00:37:47.000
course but then that's when

00:37:47.000 --> 00:37:50.000
we turn and try to help those

00:37:50.000 --> 00:37:52.000
countries I remember being in

00:37:55.000 --> 00:37:58.000
a diver and I take him to --

00:37:58.000 --> 00:37:60.000
that island down there to --

00:38:00.000 --> 00:38:02.000
dive once in awhile and this

00:38:02.000 --> 00:38:04.000
young man was saying I'd give

00:38:04.000 --> 00:38:06.000
anything if I could just go to

00:38:06.000 --> 00:38:09.000
America where I have a chance

00:38:09.000 --> 00:38:11.000
he was running the boat

00:38:11.000 --> 00:38:13.000
and he says I will probably end

00:38:13.000 --> 00:38:14.000
up doing this the rest of my

00:38:14.000 --> 00:38:15.000
life because that's about all

00:38:15.000 --> 00:38:19.000
there is to do hopelessness and

00:38:19.000 --> 00:38:20.000
that's why people want to come

00:38:20.000 --> 00:38:24.000
here and we need to at least

00:38:24.000 --> 00:38:26.000
attempt to help those countries

00:38:26.000 --> 00:38:29.000
build economies so that those

00:38:29.000 --> 00:38:31.000
people do have -- the jobs and

00:38:31.000 --> 00:38:33.000
a hope for a future so if

00:38:33.000 --> 00:38:34.000
it's not illegal it's at least

00:38:34.000 --> 00:38:37.000
immoral -- yeah I agree -- his

00:38:37.000 --> 00:38:40.000
efforts yeah is the concept

00:38:40.000 --> 00:38:42.000
of two senators for each state

00:38:42.000 --> 00:38:45.000
obsolete no I don't think so no

00:38:45.000 --> 00:38:48.000
I don't think so -- I think that it's

00:38:48.000 --> 00:38:51.000
a still a good measure of being

00:38:51.000 --> 00:38:53.000
able to get -- representation

00:38:55.000 --> 00:38:58.000
you you have a mix of of equal

00:38:58.000 --> 00:38:61.000
and -- equal by state and equal

00:39:01.000 --> 00:39:03.000
by -- individual person within

00:39:03.000 --> 00:39:05.000
the within the electorate

00:39:05.000 --> 00:39:07.000
so I I would I don't want to

00:39:07.000 --> 00:39:09.000
see a change of that no

00:39:09.000 --> 00:39:11.000
are there issues that you believe

00:39:11.000 --> 00:39:14.000
should not be in politics

00:39:14.000 --> 00:39:18.000
laughter

00:39:18.000 --> 00:39:21.000
yes I will say --

00:39:21.000 --> 00:39:23.000
let's let's start with but

00:39:23.000 --> 00:39:24.000
with the one that I believe

00:39:24.000 --> 00:39:26.000
is the most egregious -- that

00:39:26.000 --> 00:39:27.000
we face and that's abortion

00:39:31.000 --> 00:39:34.000
issue that exists regardless

00:39:34.000 --> 00:39:37.000
of how divisive it is that open

00:39:37.000 --> 00:39:39.000
minds can find common ground

00:39:39.000 --> 00:39:41.000
to move ourselves forward with

00:39:41.000 --> 00:39:43.000
something that does not divide

00:39:43.000 --> 00:39:45.000
the nation as so many of these

00:39:45.000 --> 00:39:48.000
issues have been divisive

00:39:52.000 --> 00:39:53.000
believe by both sides is still

00:39:53.000 --> 00:39:54.000
misunderstood and certainly

00:39:54.000 --> 00:39:57.000
missold -- the for our

00:39:57.000 --> 00:39:59.000
political gain I remember in

00:39:59.000 --> 00:39:61.000
the ten years that I served in

00:40:01.000 --> 00:40:02.000
the Congress I voted thirteen

00:40:02.000 --> 00:40:05.000
times -- to ban partial

00:40:05.000 --> 00:40:07.000
birth abortion but it was a

00:40:07.000 --> 00:40:09.000
wonderful issue to bring up to

00:40:09.000 --> 00:40:12.000
divide people and make -- make

00:40:12.000 --> 00:40:13.000
the Democrats who tended

00:40:13.000 --> 00:40:16.000
to vote against that effort to

00:40:16.000 --> 00:40:20.000
stop the use of it to look like

00:40:20.000 --> 00:40:23.000
terrible evil people and vice

00:40:23.000 --> 00:40:27.000
versa -- it's a

00:40:27.000 --> 00:40:29.000
sensational issue that I think

00:40:29.000 --> 00:40:31.000
is -- is terribly divisive

00:40:34.000 --> 00:40:35.000
gun legislation finally we're

00:40:35.000 --> 00:40:37.000
getting around in my opinion to

00:40:37.000 --> 00:40:39.000
waking up to saying yes there

00:40:39.000 --> 00:40:41.000
is a way to find some common

00:40:41.000 --> 00:40:43.000
ground on that issue and I'll

00:40:43.000 --> 00:40:45.000
bet we will see some movement

00:40:45.000 --> 00:40:47.000
with that within a short period

00:40:47.000 --> 00:40:49.000
of time and there are other

00:40:49.000 --> 00:40:52.000
sensational issues --

00:40:52.000 --> 00:40:57.000
that follow the same category

00:40:57.000 --> 00:40:58.000
let's go to the next question

00:40:58.000 --> 00:40:59.000
that's a good answer and I

00:40:59.000 --> 00:40:65.000
don't have any issues with that

00:41:05.000 --> 00:41:07.000
what does it take to become

00:41:07.000 --> 00:41:09.000
a Congress member in your opinion

00:41:09.000 --> 00:41:12.000
lots of money

00:41:12.000 --> 00:41:14.000
no it takes a lot more than

00:41:14.000 --> 00:41:16.000
that -- I'm being facetious

00:41:16.000 --> 00:41:17.000
but it does take money to

00:41:17.000 --> 00:41:19.000
win elections -- because

00:41:19.000 --> 00:41:20.000
keep in mind that there are

00:41:20.000 --> 00:41:21.000
seven hundred fifty thousand

00:41:21.000 --> 00:41:23.000
people approximately in every

00:41:23.000 --> 00:41:24.000
congressional district in the

00:41:24.000 --> 00:41:26.000
United States seven hundred

00:41:26.000 --> 00:41:27.000
fifty thousand people is a

00:41:27.000 --> 00:41:28.000
lot of folks to get in front

00:41:28.000 --> 00:41:30.000
of and if you could go shake

00:41:30.000 --> 00:41:31.000
that many hands and talk

00:41:31.000 --> 00:41:32.000
with every person within the

00:41:32.000 --> 00:41:33.000
congressional district you

00:41:33.000 --> 00:41:34.000
could give them a good flavor

00:41:34.000 --> 00:41:36.000
of what you're about who you

00:41:36.000 --> 00:41:37.000
are what the differences of

00:41:37.000 --> 00:41:38.000
your -- between you and your

00:41:38.000 --> 00:41:40.000
opponent are and probably win

00:41:43.000 --> 00:41:44.000
without the ability of seeing

00:41:44.000 --> 00:41:46.000
that many people on a personal

00:41:46.000 --> 00:41:48.000
basis then you have to find

00:41:48.000 --> 00:41:49.000
ways through the mass media

00:41:49.000 --> 00:41:50.000
to be able to reach them with

00:41:50.000 --> 00:41:52.000
your message and so that means

00:41:52.000 --> 00:41:53.000
that you have to use direct

00:41:53.000 --> 00:41:57.000
mail and television and -- and

00:41:57.000 --> 00:41:60.000
signs and -- the electronic

00:42:00.000 --> 00:42:02.000
media -- as well as social

00:42:02.000 --> 00:42:04.000
media all of those things

00:42:04.000 --> 00:42:06.000
require significant amount

00:42:06.000 --> 00:42:09.000
of -- of funding -- to

00:42:09.000 --> 00:42:12.000
accomplish but beyond the money

00:42:12.000 --> 00:42:13.000
and beyond the advertising

00:42:13.000 --> 00:42:15.000
it also takes someone who has

00:42:15.000 --> 00:42:18.000
decent communication skills

00:42:18.000 --> 00:42:20.000
a real interest in your community

00:42:20.000 --> 00:42:23.000
and a love for people -- the

00:42:23.000 --> 00:42:26.000
most -- the most favorite part

00:42:26.000 --> 00:42:28.000
of job of a member of Congress to

00:42:28.000 --> 00:42:31.000
me was constituent services

00:42:31.000 --> 00:42:33.000
I was more enamored with it

00:42:33.000 --> 00:42:35.000
then I was with the policy

00:42:35.000 --> 00:42:36.000
activities that were a major

00:42:36.000 --> 00:42:39.000
part of of the job so if if one

00:42:39.000 --> 00:42:42.000
in my mind can't have a feeling

00:42:42.000 --> 00:42:45.000
of connection relationship --

00:42:45.000 --> 00:42:46.000
with the people that they are

00:42:46.000 --> 00:42:48.000
attempting to serve they will

00:42:48.000 --> 00:42:49.000
not -- they will not be able to

00:42:49.000 --> 00:42:54.000
serve well in my opinion --

00:42:54.000 --> 00:42:57.000
I agree with all that I have a

00:42:57.000 --> 00:42:59.000
little formula that I think you

00:42:59.000 --> 00:42:62.000
need to apply to any politician

00:43:02.000 --> 00:43:03.000
and if that person can't

00:43:03.000 --> 00:43:05.000
convince you that they have

00:43:05.000 --> 00:43:06.000
these qualities they're not

00:43:06.000 --> 00:43:08.000
going to do very well the first

00:43:08.000 --> 00:43:10.000
one is credence -- it wouldn't

00:43:10.000 --> 00:43:12.000
be a C if I didn't honesty

00:43:12.000 --> 00:43:16.000
really is a better term people

00:43:16.000 --> 00:43:17.000
want to believe they can

00:43:17.000 --> 00:43:19.000
believe you and believe in you

00:43:19.000 --> 00:43:23.000
and trust you so -- credence is

00:43:23.000 --> 00:43:25.000
the first C the second one is

00:43:25.000 --> 00:43:28.000
competence that you can do the

00:43:28.000 --> 00:43:30.000
job that you're bright enough

00:43:30.000 --> 00:43:33.000
and articulate enough to go and

00:43:33.000 --> 00:43:35.000
be effective the third C

00:43:35.000 --> 00:43:38.000
is compassion do you care

00:43:38.000 --> 00:43:42.000
about me and I think if you

00:43:42.000 --> 00:43:45.000
have those qualities and the

00:43:45.000 --> 00:43:47.000
personality that you can go

00:43:47.000 --> 00:43:48.000
out and reach people and touch

00:43:48.000 --> 00:43:50.000
their lives and attract them

00:43:50.000 --> 00:43:54.000
to you then you can run for

00:43:54.000 --> 00:43:56.000
and be successful in --

00:43:56.000 --> 00:43:59.000
political life now the thing

00:43:59.000 --> 00:43:61.000
that with seven hundred and

00:44:01.000 --> 00:44:03.000
fifty thousand constituents

00:44:03.000 --> 00:44:04.000
you're never going to meet

00:44:04.000 --> 00:44:07.000
them all but there are decision

00:44:07.000 --> 00:44:09.000
makers out there that you will

00:44:09.000 --> 00:44:12.000
meet and those are the ones

00:44:12.000 --> 00:44:14.000
that you have to expose your three

00:44:14.000 --> 00:44:17.000
Cs to and convince them who

00:44:17.000 --> 00:44:19.000
then turn around and fund the

00:44:19.000 --> 00:44:22.000
campaign or the the influence

00:44:22.000 --> 00:44:24.000
influence the groups that

00:44:24.000 --> 00:44:26.000
fund campaigns and and all the

00:44:26.000 --> 00:44:29.000
rest of it you you still have

00:44:29.000 --> 00:44:31.000
to go out and sell yourself

00:44:31.000 --> 00:44:34.000
retail face to face person to

00:44:34.000 --> 00:44:37.000
person politics can I expand

00:44:37.000 --> 00:44:39.000
on that just a tiny bit -- I

00:44:39.000 --> 00:44:40.000
know what he did when he was

00:44:40.000 --> 00:44:41.000
a candidate he went in front

00:44:41.000 --> 00:44:42.000
of people and he had folks

00:44:42.000 --> 00:44:44.000
come to town hall meetings and

00:44:44.000 --> 00:44:45.000
the neighborhood meetings to

00:44:45.000 --> 00:44:47.000
coffees and such and I want

00:44:47.000 --> 00:44:50.000
to challenge you to do that

00:44:52.000 --> 00:44:53.000
and have these conversations

00:44:53.000 --> 00:44:54.000
within our neighborhoods and

00:44:54.000 --> 00:44:55.000
if we don't have them with our

00:44:55.000 --> 00:44:57.000
family and our friends and our

00:44:57.000 --> 00:44:60.000
neighbors -- then they many of

00:45:00.000 --> 00:45:02.000
them are going to sit at home

00:45:02.000 --> 00:45:03.000
in front of their television

00:45:03.000 --> 00:45:04.000
sets behind closed doors

00:45:04.000 --> 00:45:06.000
because either their heater

00:45:06.000 --> 00:45:08.000
or their air conditioner -- is

00:45:08.000 --> 00:45:09.000
running and you don't want to

00:45:09.000 --> 00:45:11.000
get outside but if we can begin

00:45:11.000 --> 00:45:13.000
again to broaden our community

00:45:13.000 --> 00:45:14.000
broaden our communications

00:45:14.000 --> 00:45:17.000
capabilities -- among our

00:45:17.000 --> 00:45:18.000
friends and associates we're

00:45:18.000 --> 00:45:20.000
gonna be able to raise issues

00:45:21.000 --> 00:45:23.000
opinions about the issues and

00:45:23.000 --> 00:45:24.000
not just hear what we very

00:45:24.000 --> 00:45:26.000
at the beginning talked about

00:45:26.000 --> 00:45:28.000
which was I don't like you

00:45:30.000 --> 00:45:32.000
to to do -- in our political

00:45:32.000 --> 00:45:33.000
system and we need to find

00:45:33.000 --> 00:45:35.000
a different way to do it so

00:45:35.000 --> 00:45:36.000
invite your friends over for

00:45:36.000 --> 00:45:38.000
coffee and begin to have the

00:45:38.000 --> 00:45:40.000
conversations in a respectful

00:45:40.000 --> 00:45:43.000
and an enticing manner --

00:45:43.000 --> 00:45:44.000
that maybe put some of these

00:45:44.000 --> 00:45:46.000
things on the table and you

00:45:46.000 --> 00:45:47.000
really can make a difference

00:45:47.000 --> 00:45:49.000
with them what do you think

00:45:49.000 --> 00:45:50.000
is the biggest misconception

00:45:50.000 --> 00:45:52.000
the American public has

00:45:52.000 --> 00:45:53.000
about Congress members

00:45:53.000 --> 00:45:56.000
and the work that they do

00:45:56.000 --> 00:45:60.000
go ahead -- want me to go -- biggest

00:46:00.000 --> 00:46:03.000
misconception that people have

00:46:03.000 --> 00:46:04.000
about members of Congress well

00:46:04.000 --> 00:46:06.000
we'll start with a fun one -- I

00:46:06.000 --> 00:46:08.000
think the biggest misconception

00:46:08.000 --> 00:46:09.000
perhaps is that we get our

00:46:09.000 --> 00:46:10.000
salary for the remainder of

00:46:10.000 --> 00:46:12.000
our life if we serve once --

00:46:12.000 --> 00:46:14.000
if we serve one term and we

00:46:14.000 --> 00:46:15.000
have free insurance for the

00:46:15.000 --> 00:46:18.000
rest of our lives and that we don't

00:46:18.000 --> 00:46:20.000
pay into social security system

00:46:22.000 --> 00:46:24.000
attempting to help us dispel

00:46:24.000 --> 00:46:26.000
that because I know how many

00:46:26.000 --> 00:46:29.000
emails I get -- 

00:46:29.000 --> 00:46:31.000
challenging me or chastising

00:46:31.000 --> 00:46:33.000
me for -- for for being so

00:46:33.000 --> 00:46:34.000
wealthy as a former member

00:46:34.000 --> 00:46:37.000
of Congress the -- it may

00:46:37.000 --> 00:46:42.000
never stop I don't know

00:46:42.000 --> 00:46:47.000
also that

00:46:47.000 --> 00:46:50.000
how do I say it -- you

00:46:50.000 --> 00:46:51.000
know I guess if

00:46:51.000 --> 00:46:53.000
we continue to talk over and

00:46:53.000 --> 00:46:56.000
over and over again about how

00:46:56.000 --> 00:46:58.000
divided we are and how unable

00:46:58.000 --> 00:46:59.000
we are to work together we'll

00:46:59.000 --> 00:46:60.000
we won't pull ourselves back

00:47:00.000 --> 00:47:03.000
together so perhaps we need

00:47:03.000 --> 00:47:05.000
to change some of that some

00:47:05.000 --> 00:47:07.000
of that tone somehow I don't

00:47:07.000 --> 00:47:08.000
know that it's going to change

00:47:08.000 --> 00:47:10.000
until the citizenry changes

00:47:10.000 --> 00:47:14.000
and demands different from our

00:47:14.000 --> 00:47:17.000
politicians -- so I'm not sure

00:47:17.000 --> 00:47:18.000
I can give a good answer beyond

00:47:18.000 --> 00:47:19.000
what I just did I'll let you

00:47:19.000 --> 00:47:23.000
handle that one Ron well the

00:47:23.000 --> 00:47:26.000
the misconceptions I can't tell

00:47:26.000 --> 00:47:27.000
you I know very much about the

00:47:27.000 --> 00:47:29.000
Congress -- right now I haven't

00:47:29.000 --> 00:47:31.000
been to Washington in a number

00:47:31.000 --> 00:47:34.000
of years and I know a few of

00:47:34.000 --> 00:47:37.000
the members but -- not very

00:47:37.000 --> 00:47:38.000
many of them are there anymore

00:47:38.000 --> 00:47:41.000
with whom I served so -- I'm

00:47:41.000 --> 00:47:42.000
not very good at being able

00:47:42.000 --> 00:47:43.000
to characterize the difference

00:47:43.000 --> 00:47:45.000
between or if there is a

00:47:45.000 --> 00:47:46.000
difference between how they're

00:47:46.000 --> 00:47:48.000
portrayed and what they really

00:47:48.000 --> 00:47:51.000
are but I will tell you that --

00:47:51.000 --> 00:47:54.000
when I was there the media paid

00:47:54.000 --> 00:47:55.000
very little attention to those

00:47:55.000 --> 00:47:57.000
qualities I described earlier

00:47:57.000 --> 00:47:60.000
these tremendously bright

00:48:00.000 --> 00:48:02.000
well educated committed people

00:48:02.000 --> 00:48:04.000
we used to go out during good

00:48:04.000 --> 00:48:07.000
weather and have little

00:48:07.000 --> 00:48:09.000
picnics on the lawn we'd have

00:48:09.000 --> 00:48:11.000
night sessions of Congress my

00:48:11.000 --> 00:48:13.000
wife would come in maybe bring

00:48:13.000 --> 00:48:15.000
some fried chicken or something

00:48:15.000 --> 00:48:17.000
lay a blanket on the lawn and my

00:48:17.000 --> 00:48:19.000
kids would run around playing

00:48:19.000 --> 00:48:21.000
with other they call themselves

00:48:21.000 --> 00:48:24.000
congressional brats and play

00:48:24.000 --> 00:48:26.000
with those other kids out there

00:48:26.000 --> 00:48:27.000
on the lawn and I asked a

00:48:27.000 --> 00:48:29.000
journalist one time why don't

00:48:29.000 --> 00:48:30.000
you cover that why don't you

00:48:30.000 --> 00:48:33.000
do a story on that and he said

00:48:33.000 --> 00:48:34.000
nobody cares about anything

00:48:34.000 --> 00:48:36.000
like that in other words they

00:48:36.000 --> 00:48:39.000
want to see the fight so that

00:48:39.000 --> 00:48:41.000
whether that's going on now I

00:48:41.000 --> 00:48:44.000
doubt it very very much one of

00:48:44.000 --> 00:48:46.000
the things that we did almost

00:48:46.000 --> 00:48:49.000
every afternoon -- around four

00:48:49.000 --> 00:48:51.000
four thirty five o'clock a

00:48:51.000 --> 00:48:52.000
group of us and it would be

00:48:52.000 --> 00:48:54.000
a good size group would go to

00:48:54.000 --> 00:48:56.000
the gym and suit up and play

00:48:56.000 --> 00:48:58.000
basketball against each other

00:48:58.000 --> 00:48:59.000
Republicans playing on the

00:48:59.000 --> 00:48:61.000
same team with Democrats and

00:49:01.000 --> 00:49:04.000
vice versa and we made so many

00:49:04.000 --> 00:49:07.000
friends that way now you you

00:49:07.000 --> 00:49:08.000
can't let news media into

00:49:08.000 --> 00:49:11.000
the gym of course but you know

00:49:11.000 --> 00:49:12.000
the the fact that that kind

00:49:12.000 --> 00:49:15.000
of thing goes on and it ought

00:49:15.000 --> 00:49:18.000
to be known by the public that

00:49:18.000 --> 00:49:19.000
these people are actually human

00:49:19.000 --> 00:49:21.000
beings and they know how to

00:49:21.000 --> 00:49:23.000
get along together or did and

00:49:25.000 --> 00:49:26.000
for the American people to

00:49:26.000 --> 00:49:29.000
know that is there a way to

00:49:29.000 --> 00:49:31.000
change year round campaigning

00:49:31.000 --> 00:49:35.000
and unlimited funding probably

00:49:35.000 --> 00:49:37.000
one way -- quickly to begin

00:49:37.000 --> 00:49:39.000
is to start to control the

00:49:39.000 --> 00:49:43.000
use of money in politics --

00:49:43.000 --> 00:49:44.000
it's gonna be very difficult

00:49:44.000 --> 00:49:45.000
and it probably will take a

00:49:45.000 --> 00:49:47.000
constitutional changes in order

00:49:47.000 --> 00:49:49.000
to restrict spending but if

00:49:49.000 --> 00:49:51.000
you can begin to restrict some

00:49:51.000 --> 00:49:52.000
of the spending you'll restrict

00:49:52.000 --> 00:49:54.000
some of the advertising and

00:49:54.000 --> 00:49:55.000
that's what would shorten the

00:49:55.000 --> 00:49:58.000
the season -- the more

00:49:58.000 --> 00:49:60.000
money the longer you --

00:50:00.000 --> 00:50:02.000
you have to get your ads out --

00:50:02.000 --> 00:50:04.000
so -- making that compact

00:50:04.000 --> 00:50:06.000
I guess technically you could

00:50:06.000 --> 00:50:09.000
also create a campaign season

00:50:09.000 --> 00:50:10.000
and say that you have to

00:50:10.000 --> 00:50:12.000
advertise and I don't know how

00:50:12.000 --> 00:50:14.000
you differentiate advertising

00:50:14.000 --> 00:50:15.000
and and talking about issues

00:50:15.000 --> 00:50:17.000
that  -- -- certainly

00:50:17.000 --> 00:50:18.000
have to be allowed because

00:50:18.000 --> 00:50:20.000
of our freedom of speech

00:50:22.000 --> 00:50:25.000
in the nation but it also I

00:50:25.000 --> 00:50:27.000
think perhaps depends on the

00:50:27.000 --> 00:50:29.000
citizens because you too and I keep

00:50:29.000 --> 00:50:31.000
saying that over and over again

00:50:31.000 --> 00:50:33.000
we are the drivers of a lot

00:50:33.000 --> 00:50:35.000
within the communities and if

00:50:35.000 --> 00:50:37.000
we want it to change we can make

00:50:37.000 --> 00:50:39.000
a change -- by not supporting

00:50:39.000 --> 00:50:41.000
the people that are doing the

00:50:41.000 --> 00:50:42.000
things that you want to see

00:50:42.000 --> 00:50:45.000
done differently -- and -- and

00:50:45.000 --> 00:50:49.000
speaking out on them you remind

00:50:49.000 --> 00:50:50.000
me Winston Churchill he said

00:50:50.000 --> 00:50:54.000
one time -- the -- greatest

00:50:54.000 --> 00:50:56.000
argument against democracy is

00:50:56.000 --> 00:50:57.000
five minutes with the average

00:50:57.000 --> 00:50:61.000
voter it's he had a great sense

00:51:01.000 --> 00:51:03.000
of humor obviously but I can

00:51:03.000 --> 00:51:06.000
tell you that -- even now as

00:51:06.000 --> 00:51:08.000
an ordinary citizen I know that

00:51:08.000 --> 00:51:09.000
I'm not as well informed as I

00:51:09.000 --> 00:51:12.000
should be on on the issues that

00:51:12.000 --> 00:51:14.000
are affecting me my family and

00:51:14.000 --> 00:51:16.000
and the rest of the country

00:51:16.000 --> 00:51:18.000
it does take effort now I've

00:51:18.000 --> 00:51:20.000
had some distractions over

00:51:20.000 --> 00:51:22.000
the last few years and now I'm

00:51:22.000 --> 00:51:24.000
kind of freeing up some of my

00:51:24.000 --> 00:51:26.000
time and I intend to work a

00:51:26.000 --> 00:51:28.000
lot harder I haven't met my

00:51:28.000 --> 00:51:30.000
member of Congress from my

00:51:30.000 --> 00:51:31.000
district yet and I intend to do

00:51:31.000 --> 00:51:36.000
that very soon -- so if we had

00:51:36.000 --> 00:51:38.000
a parliamentary system which

00:51:38.000 --> 00:51:40.000
is so radically different

00:51:40.000 --> 00:51:42.000
than ours then you could limit

00:51:44.000 --> 00:51:47.000
limited campaign period but

00:51:47.000 --> 00:51:49.000
with a with a constitutional

00:51:49.000 --> 00:51:51.000
amendment that allows the the

00:51:51.000 --> 00:51:53.000
Congress to regulate spending

00:51:53.000 --> 00:51:56.000
that would be a huge huge

00:51:56.000 --> 00:51:58.000
difference my district or my

00:51:58.000 --> 00:51:61.000
former district changed from

00:52:01.000 --> 00:52:03.000
Republican to Democrat this

00:52:03.000 --> 00:52:05.000
year it's the first time since

00:52:07.000 --> 00:52:08.000
don't remember the numbers

00:52:08.000 --> 00:52:11.000
but more money was spent for

00:52:11.000 --> 00:52:12.000
that one seat in the United

00:52:12.000 --> 00:52:14.000
States House of Representatives

00:52:14.000 --> 00:52:16.000
than in any other district

00:52:16.000 --> 00:52:17.000
in the country so you

00:52:17.000 --> 00:52:18.000
know that it was in the multi

00:52:18.000 --> 00:52:21.000
millions of dollars and that's

00:52:21.000 --> 00:52:24.000
just obscene we really need

00:52:24.000 --> 00:52:29.000
to get that under control

00:52:29.000 --> 00:52:31.000
and to our final question what

00:52:31.000 --> 00:52:32.000
is the most important thing

00:52:32.000 --> 00:52:34.000
you would like to pass on to

00:52:34.000 --> 00:52:35.000
college students through the

00:52:35.000 --> 00:52:42.000
Campus to Congress Program

00:52:42.000 --> 00:52:45.000
I guess I come here because I

00:52:45.000 --> 00:52:47.000
really want to inspire young

00:52:47.000 --> 00:52:49.000
people to be involved in their

00:52:49.000 --> 00:52:52.000
government we have -- we are

00:52:52.000 --> 00:52:54.000
so blessed as citizens of the

00:52:54.000 --> 00:52:57.000
United States to to live in

00:52:57.000 --> 00:52:60.000
this country and to -- enjoy

00:53:00.000 --> 00:53:02.000
all of its privileges starting

00:53:02.000 --> 00:53:05.000
with that first amendment which

00:53:05.000 --> 00:53:06.000
secures all those rights that

00:53:06.000 --> 00:53:09.000
we cherish and there really is

00:53:09.000 --> 00:53:12.000
a danger of eventually losing

00:53:12.000 --> 00:53:16.000
it if we all as citizens don't

00:53:16.000 --> 00:53:19.000
participate in our government

00:53:19.000 --> 00:53:21.000
and I think we've allowed

00:53:21.000 --> 00:53:24.000
ourselves to become to be

00:53:24.000 --> 00:53:26.000
become discouraged and think

00:53:26.000 --> 00:53:28.000
I can't make a difference but

00:53:28.000 --> 00:53:30.000
we can the other thing I want

00:53:30.000 --> 00:53:33.000
young people to know is you

00:53:33.000 --> 00:53:36.000
at age twenty or twenty one or

00:53:36.000 --> 00:53:39.000
eighteen you're just as unsure

00:53:39.000 --> 00:53:41.000
of yourself as I was at that

00:53:41.000 --> 00:53:44.000
age in terms of whether I could

00:53:44.000 --> 00:53:46.000
ever have a career in politics

00:53:46.000 --> 00:53:48.000
but I did and I overcame those

00:53:48.000 --> 00:53:50.000
fears with a lot of help of a

00:53:50.000 --> 00:53:52.000
lot of people and you can do

00:53:52.000 --> 00:53:55.000
it too and I I'd love going

00:53:55.000 --> 00:53:56.000
to campuses and sharing that

00:53:56.000 --> 00:53:59.000
message with young people I

00:53:59.000 --> 00:53:60.000
said at the beginning that it

00:54:00.000 --> 00:54:03.000
was about -- public service

00:54:06.000 --> 00:54:08.000
do public service by a very

00:54:08.000 --> 00:54:10.000
charismatic governor of the

00:54:10.000 --> 00:54:12.000
state of Texas and -- how he

00:54:12.000 --> 00:54:16.000
challenged me to give back to

00:54:16.000 --> 00:54:18.000
my community and to attempt to

00:54:18.000 --> 00:54:20.000
do it through elected office

00:54:20.000 --> 00:54:22.000
you may find some other way

00:54:22.000 --> 00:54:24.000
of doing your public service

00:54:24.000 --> 00:54:26.000
but you have a debt to pay

00:54:26.000 --> 00:54:28.000
you are receiving a great deal

00:54:28.000 --> 00:54:30.000
from your community from your

00:54:30.000 --> 00:54:32.000
neighbors from your families

00:54:32.000 --> 00:54:33.000
as you prepare yourselves to

00:54:33.000 --> 00:54:35.000
become the leaders of of this

00:54:35.000 --> 00:54:37.000
nation your communities and

00:54:37.000 --> 00:54:38.000
and of this nation and you

00:54:38.000 --> 00:54:41.000
have to recognize that so if I

00:54:41.000 --> 00:54:42.000
could leave you with anything

00:54:42.000 --> 00:54:44.000
it is to ask that you make

00:54:44.000 --> 00:54:47.000
a conscious effort to plan a

00:54:47.000 --> 00:54:49.000
time in your life where you

00:54:49.000 --> 00:54:51.000
would not just volunteer

00:54:51.000 --> 00:54:52.000
to do something within your

00:54:52.000 --> 00:54:54.000
community to make a difference

00:54:54.000 --> 00:54:56.000
for the community but that you

00:54:56.000 --> 00:54:57.000
find a time in your life where

00:54:57.000 --> 00:54:60.000
you will seek public office

00:55:00.000 --> 00:55:03.000
even if it's the -- -- for a

00:55:03.000 --> 00:55:06.000
party office precinct chair or

00:55:06.000 --> 00:55:10.000
a city council position or a

00:55:10.000 --> 00:55:11.000
position in the state

00:55:11.000 --> 00:55:13.000
legislature or governor or

00:55:13.000 --> 00:55:15.000
President of the United States

00:55:15.000 --> 00:55:17.000
but you learn so much when

00:55:17.000 --> 00:55:20.000
you put yourself before your

00:55:20.000 --> 00:55:23.000
community as a candidate if

00:55:23.000 --> 00:55:25.000
you take it halfway seriously

00:55:25.000 --> 00:55:27.000
you're gonna find out things

00:55:27.000 --> 00:55:29.000
that you had no clue existed

00:55:29.000 --> 00:55:30.000
within your community and

00:55:30.000 --> 00:55:32.000
you're going to find out things

00:55:32.000 --> 00:55:34.000
that people are hurting over

00:55:34.000 --> 00:55:36.000
that you can make a difference

00:55:36.000 --> 00:55:40.000
with so challenge yourself to

00:55:40.000 --> 00:55:42.000
give back to your community

00:55:42.000 --> 00:55:45.000
find a time to run for public

00:55:45.000 --> 00:55:49.000
office -- -- at any level

00:55:49.000 --> 00:55:54.000
and then talk find ways to tell

00:55:54.000 --> 00:55:56.000
citizens that you live with

00:55:56.000 --> 00:55:58.000
about the things that you see

00:55:58.000 --> 00:55:60.000
that are issues and get them to

00:56:00.000 --> 00:56:02.000
talk about those issues I'm

00:56:02.000 --> 00:56:04.000
probably I'm trying to think

00:56:04.000 --> 00:56:05.000
of what other things I don't want

00:56:05.000 --> 00:56:06.000
to leave something out and I'm going

00:56:06.000 --> 00:56:08.000
to anyway look for

00:56:08.000 --> 00:56:12.000
www.nolabels.org

00:56:12.000 --> 00:56:15.000
no labels is a an organization

00:56:15.000 --> 00:56:17.000
that promotes civility and

00:56:17.000 --> 00:56:19.000
the search for common ground

00:56:21.000 --> 00:56:23.000
free to join and you will

00:56:23.000 --> 00:56:24.000
help the people that want to

00:56:24.000 --> 00:56:27.000
help us find the middle of

00:56:27.000 --> 00:56:28.000
the political spectrum again

00:56:28.000 --> 00:56:30.000
being aware of that talking

00:56:30.000 --> 00:56:32.000
about those issues among

00:56:32.000 --> 00:56:33.000
your friends and neighbors

00:56:33.000 --> 00:56:35.000
will change America back

00:56:35.000 --> 00:56:37.000
to what he and I envisioned

00:56:37.000 --> 00:56:39.000
when we went to Congress and

00:56:39.000 --> 00:56:44.000
hopefully we'll see again

00:56:44.000 --> 00:56:47.000
thank you

00:56:47.000 --> 00:56:51.000
applause

00:56:54.000 --> 00:56:56.000
that was great I

00:56:56.000 --> 00:56:57.000
hope you were as inspired

00:56:57.000 --> 00:56:59.000
by how much I was talking

00:56:59.000 --> 00:56:60.000
and listening to the

00:57:00.000 --> 00:57:01.000
representatives over the

00:57:01.000 --> 00:57:02.000
past two days has been

00:57:02.000 --> 00:57:04.000
wonderful we have a small token

00:57:04.000 --> 00:57:08.000
of -- appreciation -- for

00:57:08.000 --> 00:57:11.000
this one is for --

00:57:11.000 --> 00:57:13.000
Representative Lampson

00:57:13.000 --> 00:57:14.000
Representative Chandler

00:57:14.000 --> 00:57:16.000
so thank you very much

00:57:16.000 --> 00:57:18.000
go Wolves

00:57:18.000 --> 00:57:21.000
applause

00:57:21.000 --> 00:57:23.000
what -- one final thing we want to

00:57:23.000 --> 00:57:24.000
say is a huge thank you to the

00:57:24.000 --> 00:57:26.000
student ambassadors who've

00:57:26.000 --> 00:57:27.000
been helping out over the past

00:57:27.000 --> 00:57:28.000
two days I expect is gonna be

00:57:28.000 --> 00:57:29.000
helping out tomorrow thank

00:57:29.000 --> 00:57:33.000
you and please feel free to

00:57:33.000 --> 00:57:34.000
stay I think we still have some

00:57:34.000 --> 00:57:36.000
cookies here some refreshments

00:57:36.000 --> 00:57:37.000
and -- please feel free to

00:57:37.000 --> 00:57:39.000
stay and -- talk so thank

00:57:39.000 --> 00:57:42.000
you for coming this evening

00:57:42.000 --> 00:57:46.000
music