i was chairman of the constitution center, the organization that runs the museum in honor of our constitution. i signed the 10th amendment of the bill of rights. i think the power of our country, when we are doing it right, we are doing it by trial and error at the local and date level -- state-level. when there is a consensus, the federal government begins to act. the progressive liberal approach has created chaos. we are frozen in place. it is not just health care, though, certainly, health-care is the place that has gotten attention. it is how a kill it -- agriculture is regulated. they're deciding that every place has to be done the same way. children cannot work on family farms. dust is defined as a pollutant. carbon is viewed as a pollutant, when it never was established in the law. we need to shift power back to

the states, learn from one another, and learn a more dynamic approach to policymaking. do i know anything about insurance of iowa? i do not. i know congressman young. [laughter] i'm sure i'm going to get along briefing on it. thank you all very much. [applause] congressman young: i want to point out one more special guest. tom waite. thank you, everybody. >> you would see what i used to call a stickball set. washington was a large man. very robust. terrific athlete. and madison is a skinny, little guy. >> tonight on q and a, david

stewart on james madison and the partnerships he made that aided in the success of our fledgling nation. >> his gift i write most about is his ability to form remarkable partnerships with the people of his era. it alludes to his gift to the country of his talents and what he was able to to help create the first self-sustaining constitutional republic. >> tonight :00 -- at 8:00 eastern and pacific. >> today on washington journal viewers were asked if speaker of the house, john boehner, should stay in his post. this follows his decision to fund the department of homeland security without provisions on it the executive orders on immigration. here is what viewers had to say.

host: welcome back. we want to ask you the question should john boehner remain as beaker of the house? our phone lines are open, and we are asking to hear from republicans only. 202-748-8000 for those of you in the eastern north central time zones. republicans in the mountain and pacific time zones, 202-748-8001 . mike lillis has been following this for the hill newspaper. thank you for being with us. give us the back story. the speaker faced 25 no votes when the congress met in january to elect a speaker. now it is only fomenting tea party activists angry at the speaker of the house. what can you tell us? caller: this is nothing new. john boehner took the gavel in

2011. they picked up 63 seats the november before. there was an enormous reelection that brought the republicans into power. he disappointed a lot of conservatives who thought he would be more effective as a legislator. it was not his fault. he still had harry reid in the senate and barack obama with a veto pen in the white house. he was not as effective as others thought he was going to be. the pushback from conservatives and the tea party wing in his conference is pretty severe. he was forced in a lot of debates, government spending, funding bills bills to increase the debt ceiling, those sorts of things. the things that had to be done. he had to cavb -- cave to keep the government running.

25 conservatives voted for someone else. essentially voting to get rid of john boehner as speaker. it is an embarrassment to the leadership heading into this congress. when they have the most significant majority since the hoover and ministration. this is nothing new, but a case of governing in d.c. is messy. host: "bill pascrell, a democrat from new jersey, who told you, i would probably vote for john boehner because who the hell is going to replace him? can you elaborate on that? caller: that was not an unusual sentiment after dhs. democrats do not like john boehner's legislative approach to things, normally. they disagree with a lot of things he brings to the floor. they would do things differently, obviously. they see him as a much more moderate lawmaker. they see him as a compromiser.

he does come to the table when he has to. usually admit night, but after the government shutdown of 2013 he has not allowed it to happen again. they have forced him to do deals with obama, with the democrats in congress. so it was not just bill pascrell. it was almost every democrat i talked to last week. we do not like his legislative approach 100 percent, but he would be a lot better than the tea party guys would never compromise, who would be a disaster for legislative progress. we want to get some things done in the next few years. it is obama's last two years in office. boehner can do that, a tea party guy, no way. so they are voting to keep them in their. host: let's talk about the progress. under house rules, any member of congress can file a motion that would force a full vote in the house. caller: correct.

then it would go to the floor. it would be a normal vote after that. that is why the democrat sentiments are so significant. john boehner still has a lot of support among republicans in the house. only 25 people voted against him, meaning more than 200 voted for him. he does have his own guys, obviously. and so the conservatives, tea party guys, would be -- need overwhelming support if they wanted to get rid of him. there was acknowledgment among the democrats that if they toppled the john boehner politically, it will look good. anytime a speaker is ousted, it is an embarrassment for the other party. you can see the wheels spinning. some are saying, politically, that might be pretty good. to win back the house. maybe this would help. but then they said, we would not be anything to get -- able to

get anything done. so that is the dynamics happening. conservatives would need democrats, democrats would not help them out. so john boehner's gavel is safe. host: that is an interesting development among the democrats. let me get your reaction to what the speaker said sunday. because of the weather, there was not a scheduled news conference. he was on "face the nation." [video clip] john boehner: the house is a rambunctious place. a lot of members with different ideas about what we should and should not be doing. >> can you lead those members? john boehner: i will not suggest it is easy, but remember what is causing this. it is the president of the united states overreaching. that is not just on immigration. 38 times, he made unilateral changes to obamacare.

many of these, i believe, far beyond his constitutional authority to do so. the frustration in the country represented through the frustration of our members has people scared to death. the president is running the country off the cliff. host: again, that was last sunday on "taste the nation." caller: boehner slamming the president, he is done that for years. he is a republican, he has the gavel, and he has to get them under control. it is not going to help things get done. it was not just the speaker vote. they already have three or four different bills, things they thought were going to be easy pass stuff, low hanging fruit antiabortion stuff, immigration stuff. they have not been good at counting those. they have not been good at managing these guest.

headlines are going to keep churning if they do not figure something out. host: mike lillis, thank you very much for getting up early to be with us. caller: i appreciate it. host: the question we are asking is should the speaker of the house, john boehner, remain as speaker? jay from florida, good morning. caller: good morning. i think they are should go, mcconnell should go too. they let themselves get steamrolled. we need a person that is going to stand up and hold the purse strings and say no, mr. president, you cannot have this and that. president obama has his hand on the telephone and is all of a sudden going to turn around and raise taxes? no, that is the part of the house of representatives. boehner's is not doing his job and needs to go. as far as mitch mcconnell, what a joke. harry reid got on the floor of

the senate and acted like he is still the speaker. tom on, ladies and gentlemen. we are getting stupid, screwed and tattooed. by bunch of people saying, i went to college. i'm smarter than you. now, anybody can be elected as house speaker. you do not have to be a member of the house to be elected speaker of the house. host: thank you for the call. time magazine out with its cover story focusing on politics, and a bush cover. where jeb bush fits into the family business. he was in iowa this past weekend, and we covered him in urbandale, iowa. you can see that tonight on c-span. arthur from spring city, pennsylvania, good morning. caller: the last person that was on the phone? what is he speaking out of? is he a democrat or what?

host: we are hoping to hear from republicans only in the next 20 minutes. what is your take on john boehner? should he remain as speaker? caller: of course. host: ok. where are you falling from -- calling from? you are on the air. caller: i'm calling from fort lauderdale. this is not what we voted for ok? he had an excuse in the last congress because he was in the minority. but there is no excuse now. he is caving on everything. i think this is more than just the president is outmaneuvering him. he wants the very same things that obama wants. host: thank you for the goal. ruben is next.

we are hearing from republicans only. should john boehner remain as speaker? caller: good morning. my comment is absolutely not. we do not need to bank democratic party's. -- two democratic party. we did not send them there to compromise with the wrong things. and allow mr. obama to have everything he wants on a silver platter. it is time for us to say no more. no more. we are going to lose this election if we do not speak to our agenda. we believe in small government. we do not believe in things like the affordable care act. we do not believe in spending beyond our budget. and this is what we were sent there to do. they are not doing their job. host: next is randy from

wyoming. only republicans in this half-hour. should john boehner remain as speaker? caller: good morning. no, i do not think he should remain. i do not think mitch mcconnell should either. i quit the rnc two years ago because of all these moderate candidates. i want to throw jeb bush into that mix. we look for lower government. we do not want obama steamrolling over congress. that is my comment. host: thank you from wyoming. more on the e-mail flap, the washington post, hillary clinton will face a serious challenger in her primary several. her name is hillary clinton. last week's revelation that he she used private e-mail is not a knockout blow, but it is a

needless, self-inflicted wound that stems from the same wound that has caused clinton trouble in the past -- obsessive secrecy. joining us now in maine, republican lines. caller: massachusetts. i think he is doing a great job with what he has. i think the immigration problem is the number one problem. people have to start realizing that is a real problem. especially with the deficit. these people coming in, able to use the system. boehner has been able to stand up to that area --. host: david is next from north carolina. caller: thank you for taking my call. it is a no-brainer. i think mitch mcconnell and john boehner should go. i do not understand. as many people as there are, why can't you have a fresh face?

why does it have to be the same people? like i say, nothing against them just new blood. host: you are the second or third caller to join mitch mcconnell with speaker boehner. why? caller: he is connected with the government. just get somebody fresh. ted cruz, he sometimes goes a little too far. fresh blood, anybody with common sense and is saying. just fresh blood. host: front page of the washington post, president obama traveled on the 50th anniversary of bloody sunday, the march is not over yet. when you look at that photograph of the president joined by those who were there 50 years ago, including john king, -- john lewis, i should say. the bridge is named after a

former confederate brigadier general and a former grand dragon for the alabama kkk. this was the scene yesterday with civil rights activists and the president, joined by his wife, daughters, and mother in law. john from new york, good morning. caller: thank you for taking my call. with regards to speaker boehner i am very disappointed in him. i think he has a lot of strong points, good qualities. but i was really disappointed over his soliciting netanyahu to come. i'm really in disagreement with a lot of policies of the president, but i think this was more or less an attempt to embarrass the president. i think you have to think of the office. i personally believe he has to show more of a willingness to compromise with democrats.

i just keep on thinking, went to bone meal was in there -- when tip o'neil was in there, they got a lot accomplished. i think people need to set aside personal feelings and try to compromise on certain issues for the benefit of the country. thank you for taking my call. host: we go next to jim from tennessee. republicans only this half-hour. should john boehner remain as speaker? caller: he should not. mcconnell should be replaced also. they capitulate. i think there is a compromise but we are not seeing. host: we go to louise from fredericksburg, virginia. caller: i personally think he should stay. i was disappointed about netanyahu. but i understand that is coming from the extreme right.

and i think you know this has been going on for a couple of years. they try to replace him with eric cantor. fortunately for all of us, he was thrown out of office. i think that boehner is the absolute glue that holds things together. and i think mr. mcconnell is a very good man, but if i were from tennessee, i would be kicking out my representative. i would be watching those people with their wallets. those guys are manipulative, financially. and now they are in power with the army and military. we have a $700 billion military. let's wake up. i had a brother killed in vietnam and a brother that died from agent orange at 49 years old. so please.

get neutered or something. you are absolutely outrageous. host: louise from virginia. this was the scene today as president obama embraced covers and john lewis, someone he called a hero. this is a photograph in the new york times. more from the president yesterday as he talked about what he described as the american experience. [video clip] president obama: selma is not an outlier in the american experience. it is the manifestation of a creed written into our founding documents. we, the people, in order to form a more perfect union, we hold these truths to be self-evident -- that all men are created equal. these are not just words.

they are a living thing. a call to action. a roadmap for citizenship. and an insistence in the capacity of free men and women to shape our own destiny. the founders like franklin and jefferson, leaders like lincoln and fdr, the success of self-government rested in engaging all citizens in this work. and that is what we celebrate your. -- here. that is what this movement was all about. one leg in a long journey towards freedom. host: the president yesterday in selma. you can watch the entire speech online at www.c-span.org. from palm beach, florida, lloyd is on the phone. comeback to comments by john boehner. go ahead lloyd. caller: i agree with most of your callers that boehner and mcconnell need to resign or be voted out.

host: what do you think of mitch mcconnell as the new leader in the senate? what is your take? caller: i think he needs to resign or be voted out. host: he won reelection. you are saying being voted out of the leadership? caller: are you going to argue with me before i get to make a comment? host: i'm sorry. caller: i'd like to make a comment if you don't mind. they are both trying to get along with democrats. and that is not how you compromise. you compromise out of strength not weakness. they are afraid to do old work -- bold work that would irritate their democratic counterparts, thinking they'll come up with something that will please the democrats and can compromise better. that is a big mistake. it is not working out.

they have been trying it for years now. you need people who will attack the democrats. will absolutely get them in a position where they have to compromise because if they do not, they will get nothing. host: lloyd, who should that be? caller: i have no idea. ted cruz comes to mind in the senate. in the house, i have no idea. but not someone who wants to come up with try -- with something pleasing for the democrats. the fact the democrats are behind these guys is a major message. host: thanks for the call. we go to randy in fredericksburg. good morning. caller: good morning. the other callers think that mr. mcconnell and mr. weiner -- boehner need to go. i think they are too moderate.

mr. weiner -- boehner is complaining about mr. obama but has done nothing about it. we need an ultraconservative in republican leadership to counter mr. obama. host: who should that be? caller: i have not read up on who the leaders on cows -- in the house. host: alan is next. good morning. caller: good morning. i want to give you the reasons why john boehner and mcconnell should be gone. boehner should have been voted out the day he made the comment it is so hard. number two, mcconnell should be out because he should've kept the role the democrats had. where there was only 50 votes.

then you could have sent this up to the president and let him veto the thing. the third reason is, when you said the democrats would act john boehner, that is the story. they do not want someone conservative. you are getting all these calls. if the conservative need someone who can offer something to the extreme liberals, we cannot have a moderate republican. we need a conservative that would do that. here is the biggest reason. the most important story to hit this country in the last eight years is what the irs did investigating conservative organizations. if the democrats are in office for sure, they would have had a special counsel. they should have had a counsel investigate that. host: do you have a candidate in mind to replace the speaker? allen hung up. one other moment from the speech yesterday in selma, alabama.

here are the comments of john lewis from georgia. [video clip] john lewis: you and i are here because we must use this moment to recommit ourselves to do all we can to finish the work. there is still work left to be done. get out there. and push and pull until we redeem the soul of america. host: john lewis of georgia. also in attendance, former first lady laura bush and former president george w. bush. we will have live coverage of the ceremony at the baptist church in selma, alabama. among the speakers, andrew young , former mayor of atlanta, and martin luther king iii.

mark from henderson. should john boehner remain as speaker? caller: i think john boehner and mitch mcconnell should both go. you have been asking the question about who should replace john boehner as speaker of the house. why don't we take a look at mr. louis goldman? that gentleman stood up and said a lot of great things. as far as mitch mcconnell, i think ted cruz would be a real good candidate for it. as far as speaker of the house. i got tired of hearing john boehner talk about how he is one third, two thirds of the representatives. now he is two thirds, the president one third. the reason why, going behind doors with nancy pelosi. after netanyahu spoke, they go behind closed doors. they waited when everybody was not looking.

then they go and they bait and switch and passed for the homeland security, take immigration out of their -- there. i think he should have sent it back to the senate the way it was first voted on and represented. host: mark, you get the last word. should john boehner remain? many weighing in on mitch mcconnell. >> on the next "washington journal," april ryan talks about her book, "the presidency in black and white," which examines how modern presidents have handled race relations. and luis ranofsky will discuss proposals to replace the affordable care act. you can join the conversation on facebook and when her. washington journal live on c-span. >> monday night on "the two

indicators,," the founder and ceo of media, to medications on the challenges facing media companies and the fallout from the latest fcc decision affecting the internet. >> i have no doubt this will increase rates for consumers. they are going to impose on regulatory fees. additional rental fees. taxes at the local level. i think utilities. regular utilities. the states are going to get into the act. i have not found one government that does not want to raise more money. that is going to give them an opportunity to raise more money. >> monday night at 8:00 p.m. eastern on the communicators on c-span2. >> next, q and a with david stewart. then british prime minister david cameron taking questions

from members of the house of commons. after that, we will have former secretary of state hillary clinton at the emily's list gala. announcer: this week on "q&a," out i guess i think david stewart. his new book, "madison's gift: five partnerships that built america" focuses on the central role that james madison played in the founding of our nation and the relationship he had with george washington, alexander hamilton, thomas jefferson, his wife, and james monroe. brian lamb: david stewart, your book, what was madison's gift? david stewart: it is a double

meaning. his gift is the ability to form remarkable partnerships with the great people of his era. but it also alludes to his gift to the country of his talents and what he was able to do to help create the first self-sustaining constitutional republic. brian lamb: you were a clerk in the supreme court. on the circuit court of appeals. you are a clerk to davis babylon. what did you see when you were a clerk of madison's impact on the way that the courts operate? david stewart: and the courts of appeals, i didn't feel that i saw much. in the supreme court, and i was there a year of course, you are dealing with basic constitutional issues. you are always going back to the

federalism. that is the most immediate impact that madison -- the constitution is not self-executing or self explaining. the federalist has had an enduring impact in terms of what did they really think they were doing, how did the different parts of the constitution work together. that was the most immediate impact. brian lamb: you write about the federalist papers. what did you learn that surprised you? david stewart: i enjoyed -- what i enjoyed most was the language of it and the way hamilton and madison organized it. john j wrote a few essays, but it is mostly a production my hamilton and madison. that was the great partnership that produced the federalist. they weren't natural partners. but they put together this remarkable