bridging the digital divide of one engagement at a time, cox, bringing us closer. cox support cspan, as a public service along with these other television providers, getting my front row seat to democracy. >> similar republican representatives comstock and joe walsh were a part of the discussion on whether to move the republican party. this was part of the - summit which brought together members of the gop and opposed former president donald trump and this is an hour. [applause] [applause] >> thank you thank you very much and iou was very kind very movig and so my name is michael wood

among business owner in texas, and the myth reservist in the marine corps and ran for congress last year and did not work out so i'm not in congress but now i'm in the house of representatives but he ran in ar special election fairly soon after january 6th saying that the republican party needed to denounce and move away from donald trump especially afterer january 6. [applause] in front of the race that we ran but, i sent myself over this past year in sort of a weird spot that a lot of people in this room can probably relate to that all of a sudden, i am considered on the fringes of american politics i don't know how that happened, he two years ago, i was just a replacement level republican his servant is mutate prevention rate and any member of the representatives who had aaf hard after the name

eight years ago, take them out of the house will be in there, nine times out of ten you would not be able to notice a difference but now, people talk to melk and talk about me like i am or i don't know, left green or winged party or that i'm some sort of democratic socialist or something like that. i'm not really changed. but, i am out of step dramatically with both major political parties in thispa country. and it is time this what we are to talk about in this panel my hero is abraham lincoln and abraham lincoln zero was henry clay and when henry clay died, lincoln motor eulogy for him it and that he said, then free people in times i of peace and quiet, when pressed by common danger naturally divided into parties. and as such times a man who is of neither party is not or cannot be of any consequence and

he goes on to say that mr. clay was there for the party and politics is a team sport, we are all very worked up in this room we have principles but ultimately the politics is a team sport and we revere lincoln because he was able to get into that mark in the mire of the politics is still accomplished thanks that were great. it was all about power, is up noble aims that he n fought for. so, what we do, when people like me do the coming years and that's what we will talk about. so, this is going to sort of range all of the placement hope we have a good discussion but the very least for me, if not everybody in this room, want to know one, can we salvage of the republican party can we say the gop is it too far gone. and it too, with our energies be better spent building up the centrist wing of the democratic party and bring back something

like that dlc and maybe bring back truman democrats and jfk democrats 43, should we just buy the bullet pull the trigger and just do the third-party thing. i really don't know and i think depending on when you asked me that, throughout any given day, you get a different answer and so, that being said, just briefly introduce our panelists are honorable panelists and taking a page from the notebook i'm going to be very quick on this we can just get to the meat of our discussion barbara comstock is a lawyer in a former member of congress from virginia.. [applause] [applause] >> next we have mr. miles taylor department of homeland security and cofounder. [applause] [applause] and finally, the guy who almost give me a heart attack a little

while ago, mr. joe walsh from the coast of the new broadcast former member of congress. [applause] [applause] >> okay, so we will just start with the hundred mr. walsh will move this way and avoiding get along with it is a doomed where things will get t better after dollars trump and just be honest, or heaven forbid i don't want this in heaven forbid, where is thisoi going to be, has cancer gone to deep and is going to be even after that, the party of marjorie taylor green, wendy rogers, white nationalist and are we going to put all of this effort over the next few years and time and energy into getting larry hogan intelligence. >> let me state that the house that his setting up with both

barbara and miles, i respect the heck out of these two but i do not know what they're going to say about what his essay, should we stay or should we go and i have no idea what was going to say pretty and to me this is simple, and to me, we are a year two or three too late to me, all the respect to heath and principles first, i don't know where the heck were even asking that question anymore. stay aware, loki eminent weird spot because unlike these two, i voted for trump in 2016 and i come from the mega base and because i come from the gop base, and make more under no mistake the topic makes the mega base, that is the republican party base right now and that is a world i come from and i hear from hundreds, sometimes thousands of these voters every day still.

i want to tell you the vast majority of them are gone and i don't care what mitch mcconnell says, i don't care what any republican in washington says, the republican party base is gone. almost completely. should we stay in the republican party, i don'ti believe this republican party will change in my lifetime. it is said and trump were going tomorrow how with some of the b of donald trump or going tomorrow, nothing is changing pretty nothing changing for the party and the train is going on the track and trump is gone tomorrow, the republican party on the 2024 will be ron desantis probably orders were to be somebody is even curvier than ron desantis, most definitely in a matter again, what mitch mcconnell or kevin mccarthy or any of these guys say, this is where the voters in the party

are pretty heck no, to all of us, we should not stay there in the second quick pointnt that wl make michael i'm almost done and this is happening no matter what pretty forget about how screwed up therg republican party is, te democratic party has problems right and they keep going left and irregardless of what we all say in this room, i believe within four - eight years, a well-funded major new radically centrist let's get stuff done kind of a party, and a major party. [applause] is coming to the republican party a belief is a national party, is dying, as a national party, it is dying and primarily in the republican party base as much lofgren bunch of old white men and women, old white men and

women die sooner than the young people die. [laughter] in the republican party base is dying and there is going to be and is coming within four - eight years, no matter what we decide michael, there is something coming and there's most americans are center-right, or centerleft, they are not happypa with the democratic pary come they're not happy and they are not certainly not trump and final point that i will make we are living in a historic moment in his school to be alive right now but when you are in it, you don't realize what is happening because your party history. we've been republicans and i've been a republican my whole life and is hard to think outside of the box. think outside the box, this is a uniquely revolutionary moment in american history. the two-party that we've had for

172 years, is ending so heck yes, we should start something new. [applause] [applause] >> okay joe walsh after that and were going to stand up into calisthenics andnd look, i think were well-positioned on the state because in a not going to resume a barbara will say but i think we are on the spectrum here literally on this question and i'm sort of like, half in and have found in this because i think that we have to do what he says not talk about the long-term-t reasons why in the short term s as an think you alo have to reform the gop a barbara is been incredible trying to get a former colleagues to stand up again maybe will go added and you're starting third-party today but somewhere in the middle and i think we need all of the above strategy and factly just comes into the numbers and you guys this room are some of

the numbers so we look at this a lot of the snow the last year and a few surveys they found that 50 percent of americans consider themselves, political independence in the highest watermark since they've ever done that poll, 50 percent of this country and only 25 percent is likely consider themselves republicans oric democrats rated know i'm no brilliant political theorist but i did tell in economics i don't know oftp any other economic marketplace where one half the consumers say they literally hate allte of their choices and this was happening inin the politics half of you ae saying i hate my choices that tells me there is a market failure, there is an opening for another opportunity and then opening to be seized by enterprising people who wanted enter the market place to do something really special and i think that in our lifetimes, wel see a a successful third-party

this country, in the 20 percent three, maybe not make sure the raptor but my one prediction today is in the century we will see ae third-party be successful at the national level and this country and it will copy of that with that in the meantime, the barriers are enormous. and we have got to try as best we can to protect the rationales inside of the republican party against the radicals and is well a lot of us in this room are trying to doo whether it's the american movement to republican accountability project and the other organizations are trying to protect the good guystr isecd guys and very fundamentally leaving the opening so that is something that we are a very focused on in the meantime, were not going to seek third-party pop up the returns but i will say this, we do have opportunity to go punish those radicals and as we been talking about before, i think this week, the potent extremist party gave us onene more reason to kep

their - in november. [applause] [applause] >> will of donald trump disappeared tomorrow, i honestly don't think there would be many of my former republican colleagues or electives in the search party. [laughter] [laughter] it is a hostage situation for many of the republicans so yes. [applause] is not a good thing but that is the reality of what they're doing. i am somewhere in the middle, i'm catholic and i'm a republican and i've got some parties that has a problem in faith and sticking with both of them the w reason i stick my fah is because they've known my

whole life the principles of my faith the reason i'm sticking with my party is all of the great issue discussions that you have pandemic this weekend, will i was here first, long before donald trump was. [applause] [applause] >> i heard i'm not going to get your name right but i was reading of quote from a woman a resident and she said, it is my country, and another one who should leave an arrest are the ones who should leave. [applause] [applause] and now that is true, it is also true that i think for a party. i was republican, my first panel than i ever did for here at the national press and working on impeachment of bill clinton and back in those days, i was writing checks to bill clinton and chuck schumer, the clintons,

and he was against impeachment and not just because of the justl portion but he didn't want to be impeached at all and he was inviting bill and hillary to the wedding. it was formal partial - for rabortion and for raising the taxes, not lowering them so i was fighting against all of those things and i'll be darned if i'll be run out of town by the my party, who is just an opportunity and into next. >> i met. [applause] and what does that mean and i still don't have a lot of options right because the principal republican, but what i am focused on is that it is really about the person and when i land, but three times the general assembly in virginia and twice for congress, my first one i won by 422 votes the general assembly and thank you my dear

friend event choice it was the moderator of my first and i will it was based on relationships and that's what we're doing here today and i thank you so warmhearted. read this wonderful book and not going to get this right but it's called the applicators and is about three moment from the leading up to the civil war. .. t harriet tubman. the other two women who -- francis stewart was an abolitionist as well is going for when -- women's rights. her husband was not always voting the way she wanted to but she was very active in she was very active in doing it. there's a lot of people out there, obviously very active with making sure that litigants lunch chat list chain is reelected. i really think every chance toha get jennifer.

against marjorie taylor greene in georgia. lisa murkowski got the solid support of her colleagues in the senate and mitch mcconnell. getting people like that reelected. then you saw just duncan who's going to be a great future leader as our moderator here. i am confident you may not agree with governor kemp on everything but for commitment as an opportunistic trumpet lackey is not going to win that race. so be of good cheer. what we've seen internationally this weekend, things had turned on a dime. you've seen the weathervane politicians are trying to run a back know i was with you i was with you. i never liked putin, i never liked him. [laughter] you're going to set break more and more. all of us former as well as liz, adam, mitt romney, many of their colleagues are quietly cheering them on kind of like francis

stewart in helping from behind it. look for help wherever we can get. we get somebody who comes in and wants to help a little here and there, as long as it means we can get this cancer out of our party and get us back on the right path which i think we have such a moment here this weekend to contrast between principal and issue discussions here versus the colts -- the trump colts, see packer, white nationalist colts and not many -- not enough of the republicans are announcing that. mitt romney was on tv this morning did not really hard as well as others. this fevers going to break this is going to break by you having relationships with people in your community. by being open to get people out of the colts. an understanding we will be here first so be an agitator that

leaders will follow. you are seeing all of these crowds out there, germany hasg already changed on a dime. i think that fever is going to break it. it's two steps forward and sometimes one and a half steps back. the agitators keep outep those. god bless thank you. [applause] >> just to make clear i did not support jump in 16 or 20 nor will i support him if he is a nominee. i don't think any of the republicans speaking at cpac certainly the whitee nationalit thing, whatever it is called they will never be president. donald trump is not going to be president again. now if he is a nominee than we are going to lose. no democrats need to understand

if got a loser right now to pray that is not helping them. but i do think there's going to be a post a pandemic, post trump republican and democratic party and the person who could realize market opportunity and a moment it's a great moment. via zelensky. be out there and enter that people are dying for leadership again. it just takes a few people to step out and make the difference. we are seeing one person's courage makes a difference that is why liz isdi making a difference, that is why adam is, that's where senators are stepping up. [applause] let me just jump in. i adore and respect everything barbara had to say. if trump runs again and 24 the nomination is his, we all knowna thatal. and no one will challenge him. larry hogan?

great ma'am, does not have a prayer. mitt romney is a great man does not have a prayer to the nomination that party in 24. if trump runs he will not be challenged. to barbara's other point trump is a cancer. trump is not the cancer in the party. trump is the cancer but it has metastasize way beyond him. and again i know i am a dork irishman you're all going to throw something at me before we are out of here. be my vantage point is skewed because i hear from these people every day. it is not -- it is not changing -- the fever is not breaking any time soon. do everything at miles and barbara say we need to do to goodrt the good guys, the gals liz cheney wonderful i hope

she wins. i don't that there's any way she can win a republican primary and that states. i hope she does. my good friend adam can singers not running again. adam could not have survived the republican party primary. if you are running everyone in this room would help him as would i. but we have also got to be -- wake up and be realistic i am donewa. i'm not done but i'm done for now. [laughter] post on that what we say something really quick and then i have a question for joe and miles. donald trump can never ever be commander-in-chief again. it is not just what happened on january 6 but everything after the election day that disqualifies him from ever being within 100 city blocks of any real power. with that being said there is a

danger with that. cannot have nuclear weapons ever again for the third party could also get quite a few democrats and we could very well end up in the position were donald trump is been sworn in again. that being said you're not going to like me for this question is that more immoral to vote for the thing that feels good, the third party and 24 or is it more moral to vote for the democrats? i am not going to shake your question head-on. [laughter] i paid for this microphone. [laughter] the morality in this case is option analogy.

i think we need to at this very moment consider investing in a third-party ballot lent against donald trump in 2024. we may end up in a situation rico spent $25 million in all 50 states, we get the ballot i'm can destroy donald trump the spoiler is very risky scenario. no offense to bernie's supporters in this room there probably aren't many but there's it's weird right now i don't know regards there's more burning people in the trump camp. like absolute right it's a circle now. bernie is the nominee. we need that third line. we need that line on the ballot. so we need option analogy for its worth investing in. it's not radical to do that to punch for the first time a third

party.t, earlier today i was watching tv summit had quoted kennedy on talk about ukraine or he says let every nation know whether it wishes us well or ill that we shall pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardship, support any friend oppose any foe to the survival of liberty. applies domestically too. the bravest thing you have to do is vote for a third-party candidate, that's a pretty good situation to be in. we may be in that situation 2024.. i would go back to a need to together invest inac preserving that option analogy to prevent them being in for a second time. i'll make one an amendment to what you said or is not just what happened after it happened on electionof dates all the stuf that happened prior to that were trying to stop fromm happening.

[applause] looks reason i don't think served in the military, we all know here in this room i am sure people who were in the military who voted for trump in 1620. i know people who were confirmed appointees of donald trump who did not vote for him while they were sitting there. [laughter] they were still there. this is going to come out more and more. let people leave the cult let them come over let them move over. republicans also want to get back to winning. the guy never got the pulp popular vote lawsuit georgia lost the house, last the senate it's not the future. that is not the only guy out there. they understand that.

the very main democrats i know want to be intact that they are saying no way joe biden is going to be on the ticket. the vice president has already fluent her audition it's going to be someone else on the other side also. we are a lifetime away from a nomination. things do change quickly nothing in politics as ever as bad as it seems. it's never as good as it seems. i went in congress winning by 16 points in a race is not supposed to win at all. that's how things go in the country because and have someone like trump who goes a click too far you go right off the cliff and lose a lot. in virginia we won last year. now i know a lot of people here a lot of the republicans are out there trying to stay in the t s.

lane. a lot of people did not speak at cpac who did enter and who do have a still future it's important to give them the option analogy. i think some of these races where the senate if you have on those horrible candidates in ohio, jt vance or josh mandel, their horrible. crack or maybe some of of the best canids we've ever seen. [laughter] the of us here could support i would imagine where there be others or could there be an independent there. i think governor dewine is being challenged by a trump person. right now i don't know. i said i would not support the trump woman. no matter what i'm not going to support her in the race. she did not get the nomination.

that made a difference there. this clinic the case on the house races donald trump is supporting to very much lose those races. if that's the way they have to learn that's where they are going to learn. it's not just us will not be supporting with a lot of independence, a lot of people cannot do that click over no matter how bad the economy is or how bad joe biden is blowing it. to answer your question head-on the republicans are going to take back the house or the public take back the senate. this party this dying national parties going to take back the house and the senate. donald trump willth wrap himself around that victory. he will own that victory. unless he is dead or in jail by the way if he is indicted he will still be the most of.

i keep going back to this. we could do this every week and i would love it. but, you talk to republican voters on the ground, they are not where barbara is. they are not where miles is. second point your moral question, miles is right. money is going to be put behind it. i think within four -- eight years there is that major let's get ship done party coming. but right now michael, donald trump is a current existential threat to this country. i don't know if that makes sense. which is why just why for the first time in my life i worked my off and voted for a democrat in 20 joe biden.

we have to do the same if he ise on the ballot in 24, if he is barbara then again we all have to support the only person who can beat that threat that is the democrat in 24. rx get stuff done can still be a republican it can be a republican governor can be somebody we don't know about yet. when crises happens as we have seen this weekend leaders emerge and that is for the opportunity is. leaders can emerge on the house level, on the senate level on the governor level i think jared has done a great job in colorado and dealing with covid beingng a sensible in the house he obviously is in touch with his voters. in virginia may like trump better but this is a guy who couldn't when they did not vote for the crazy person that voted for somebody i don't want to get

in. >> to be fair if glenn duncan was an outspoken, joe existential threat to this country i know virginia is unique they have the convention. if young kent was outspoken anti- trump could he have one? what we are doing what candidates have to do sometimes is different. double digits in new hampshire on the same ballot is donald trump. he ran on being a guy who get stuff done he's a pretty smart conservative pretty cuts taxes, cuts regulations has a sensible approach uncoated. and he is just staying away from whole trump thing. sometimes like i was think we would be agitators they have different rules. they were all different they were not john brown.

there are rolls in a lot of different ways of the people who are going to be the candidates there's a lot of different options there, that are not trump. i do think peopleon are realizig trump is a loser. he has a sore loser. i have talked about this yesterday that got all these texts, they gotten his phone records. when those come out market meadows turned over a lots of text and he was interacting with a lot of people pretty already seen some of them where they have said you can't do this, what are you doing? when you see all that in real time people are going it's much worse than they thought. >> a barber i want to live the rest of my life with you. i love and i mean it i love how optimistic you are. i mean that.

[inaudible] i talked to everybody with the start talking to everybody. it's catholic let's bringev everybody in. the reality is a republican voter on the ground. tim scott, great guy i served with in congress ten years ago. tim scott on his face is not a makeup megatron burke. one week ago tim scott said donald trump is a future of the party he is our party. >> he would not be in the search party for disappeared? [laughter] excellent live at both of you forever this already feels like a family. is anyone's family this united? looks at the risk putting an crosshairs to synthesize and ensure both saying by adding

that there is something this room needs to do before we go out of n this room i'm not going to make a deep calisthenics. it's coming together as insipid as this sounds you all have seen and our movement called the forever trump unit which is called that, it is easy there are divisions, there are people who hate each other their organizations competing against each other with tin can definitely stupid. we need to come together we must come together. donald trump's biggest fear is he'll be seen as a loser but if we come together and stay together will prove the point he is one. so we have to do that as a group. >> we to take control of this panel? >> proxy point i was making to michael before we started, he was in the congressional grit race.

the trump supported candidate did not win. not michael being in that race pulled votes way the guy who ended up a winning in the runoff. the person supported by donald trump. that was not expected. i don't think you see max miller and congress is going to be a lot of trump losers appeared going to start racking up only start having primaries. not all them unfortunately. but let's focus on the ones we can make sure they are losers because they are dangerous. they are dangerous to be in office at all. you did your part and putting a big a black eye on donald trump right after january 6 so god bless you. [applause] okay let's shift gears a little bit. something tells me you guys have questions. [laughter] let me ask a question and then 40 minutes later after it is answered.

[laughter] okayay. joe you've struck with this as well put them at the beginning of the tea party, remember that? as a gentleman here who hands out constitutions as he still here? god bless you w sir. that used to be all over the place. it's about reducing the size and scope of the government, getting spending under control going back to the constitution whenever mite left wing friends onwould talk to me and said it's crazy this is a mass movement of people who want less from the government they clean up after themselves it is outstanding. maybe they were right that is what i want to ask. asis conservatives was this alws in the cards for us? was a tea party what i thought it was in change or was it always about take your pick, grievance, racial issue, culture war, whatever. >> i got elected with the tea

party i am still a proud tea party are. there are two strands to the tea party moments a government is too big or brand corrupting future generation strand that iran on for the other strand of my tea party was a populous nationalist culture war, bigoted sometimes a racist. i was bringing my country back bring in 1954 back that strand was there but we want to washington we did not deliver on the size of government and the debt the tea party became disenchanted these voters did. the other strand the uglier national strandnd is what trump tapped into and there is no looking back. >> trump has not delivered for those people. that is again for the opportunity is to come in and actually get it done person who can say they talk about that but you are still there he has not helped to your jobs you have all

these problems. the candidate who puts checks on the board which tend to beat governors giving states that have a balanced budget to get things done youst can't just tak about things which is allll dond trump does. i think there is an opportunity for it i know who was there because that person can still come in and take both the populace concerns but here's how we turn into results that matter for your life for the kitchen table issues you're improving their lives and actually getting something done.do park so add to it barbara saying, talking to these tea party people still every day the vast majority of them believe trump did deliver. >> and have got to agree with joe's point. your perspective on where you can from what the tea party movement but i'm a libertarian conservative with a small l, always have been, milton freedman all of these people

most of these trump supporters have no idea what the ideological basis is of liberalism. a very academic spend a lot of time about that of a classic liberal doesn't make any sense for me too say that to the public. that is where the movementm, originated from. an ideological movement that's not a bad thing it's a good thing all of it's the same values i live my my same values that is pretty cool. but the movement was hijacked. the tea party movement unquestionably over the course of a decade we saw emerge in a ideological insurgency that was hijacked by an authoritarian tapping into the cultural been a lot of consequences for that. one of the consequences that cuts your question about the impact and legacy of the tea party movement because it was hijacked we have seen an unprecedented or withering assault on free speech in this country. now a few minutes ago you clapped you were together we are

in this together i'm going to tell you right now if we are brothers and sisters in this fight, your brothers and sisters are suffering. there are people in this room who i know have lost their homes, their jobs, their marriages the personal security in their lifesaving standing up in this fight. as the brothers and sisters, you need to be out there defending them. most of you are in we need to spread that. this is the lastd point i'll ge an economics lesson i always just neck i talk about the price of dissent in economic terms anyone who had econ 101 is the price of something is only high or can only be reduced in two ways you got the supply and demand. if dissent is very costly right now there are two ways to lower it. we either lower the demand were not going to lower the demand for dissent. we all want more free speech, right? or you increase the supply. if you increase the supply of

something in the marketplace the price goes down. the only way we lower that cost of a people like olivia, elizabeth, joe and barbara going out sing the right thing and then getting death threats like i have in my pocket i will reach of the text message from last night, close your mouth that you paid the price about donald trump. i have paid every price. i have paid every price and guess what i'll do it again and again. [applause] the only way we lower that cost is by increasing the supply. that is the simplest thing people in this room can do i know you sat in your living rooms with a small business owner, your cousin or your dad who said i don't like trump. that people in town love him they just don't want to say something. if we break that seal we will lower the price i be easier to defending and that's what we can do together. >> okay.

>> next assistant attorney general for civil rights kristen clark on prosecuting hate crimes, testifying to the senate judiciary committee she said the department is aiding law enforcement and local communities to reduce those incidents. at 2:00 p.m. eastern on the presidency, part two of the eight part series first ladies in their own words a look at the role of the first ladies in their time and white house and the issues important to them this week will feature betty ford. >> equal rights amendment when ratified will not be an instant solution to women's problems. it will not alter the fabric of the constitution or force women away from their families. it will help knock down those restrictions that have locked

women in to the old stereotype behavior and opportunity exploring the american story watch america history tv saturday on cspan2 and find a full schedule on your program guide c-span offers a variety of podcasts that is something for every listener. weekdays washington today gives you the latest from the nation's capitol and every week book notes plus has in-depth interviews with writers about their latest work while the weekly uses audio from immense archives to look at how issues of the day developed over years and our occasional series talking with features extensive conversation with historians about their lives and work. many of our television programs are also available as podcasts. you can find them all on the

c-span now mobile app or wherever you get your podcasts. c-span is your unfiltered view of government we are funded by these television companies and more including comcast. >> do you think this is just a community center? no it's way more than that. comcast is parting with 1000 committee centers to provide wi-fi it enables for students from low income families get the tools they need to be ready for anything. comcast support c-span as a public service along with these other television providers giving you a front row seat to democracy. next assistant attorney general for civil rights kristin clark on prosecuting hate crimes testifying to the senate judiciary committee eating a law enforcement and local communities to reduce those incidents.