in the united states of america, because of the first amendment, they put you in the united states senate. god bless america. when i came to the united states senate, although i was all by myself, i said i was never alone because of the wonderful way the men have elected me. the history of the women in the senate is short. i might add, 4'11" short. but everything we've done, we have been able to work on together. i fought for seniors to try to pass this -- and pass the spousal impoverishment legislation to make sure that the very cruel rules of our government didn't force people into bankruptcy when they had to turn to a nursing home. to work to pass the lilly ledbetter bill to give equal work for equal pay. our wonderful work on women's health where we broke barriers in terms of research, but we know we have saved lives because of what we have done in research and our preventative health amendments, and for young people in national service. and i have also fought for maryland, whether it's cleaning up the bay or fighting for jobs in the port of baltimore, whether it's looking out for the

make the point that the united states senator -- united states senator ought to have the guts, just ought to have the guts to stand up and say, look, this is important to me. i'm the individual who ought to be held accountable. and senator grassley in that midwestern way just always manages to get these issues down to what they're really all about. it's about accountability. and, as senator grassley says, it's really about guts. i would also mention what's striking about the secret hold, mr. president, is that astounding power -- and i think it's only fair to describe it that way. i mean i know of few powers that an elected official has that resemble the ability to anonymously block a bill or a nomination that affects millions of people. it is an astounding power and for years and years it has never been written down anywhere. now, as part of the ethics legislation that was passed a few years ago, we were able to get a watered-down version of secret holds reform in there. but literally to think that a power like this so sweeping, almost unrivaled in terms of the powers an elected of

a united states senator and as a united states senator and and is done throughout her entireyo career.mi u.s. jeni maryland or what they think about senator mikulski and they will start out by saying she is a fighter and then they will say we are glad she is on our side. she is an effective fighter for the people from protectingn neighborhoods from an unwanted highway to keeping jobs in maryland from being shipped overseas. there is no more effective playerht than senator barbara mikulski. she has protected herra strengthening of the u.s. this program and her position on the appropriations committee. she provided equity in health care from the health committee and she stands for up for our federal workers, advancing equity issues in the list goes on and on and on. she is taken or social worker background and her political training for more politics in east baltimore and her hard work ethic from her parents and her own common sense to be a voice for working families in the halls of the united states senate. on a personal note i want to take of my friends were always being there for me, wo

here to the united states senate, and it was blocked secretly. a bipartisan bill, mr. president, to allow us to strengthen the tools that law enforcement would have in order to fight sex trafficking, to provide urgently needed shelters to sex trafficking victims, a bipartisan bill that senator cornyn and i spent many, many months on, did not become law during the lame-duck session because of a secret hold. so i think a lot of senators have seen exactly these kinds of problems. judges, u.s. attorney candidates, we had both from my home state -- two judges that couldn't be considered because of a hold with our being in a position to not identify who was objecting, same with a u.s. attorney. these are the real consequences, mr. president, of secret holds, and i want to close with one last point, and that is, the big winners, it seems to me, in these secret holds are the lobbyists. the lobbyists benefit tremendously from secret holds. practically every senator has got an request from a lobbyist asking if the senator would put a secret hold on a bill

merkley: madam president, the united states senate is broken. during the course of my first two years in this body, there has been only a couple serious debates in this chamber. debates in this chamber. the first one happened just a couple of weeks ago and that was an impeachment trial of a judge. now, the magic again because the cameras were turned off, and sos senators were not speaking to c the camera. they were speaking to each othe and second they were required tr be on the floor so they were actually here to listen to each other and after all the evidence had been presented senator started to engage back and forth about their interpretations about the evidence, that the standards that would constitute grounds forro conviction and he would not have been able to tell who was republican and who was the democrats. we had a real debate that it took two years to have that first debateav. h and we had a debate over the s.t.a.r.t. treaty. that was a pretty good debate too. that t happened after another oe happened a couple of weeks ago. but for th

merkley: madam president, the united states senate is broken. during the course of my first two years in this body, there has been only a couple serious debates in this chamber. the first one happened just a couple weeks ago, and that was an impeachment trial of a judge. now, the magic began because the cameras were turned off, and so senators were not speaking to the camera; they were speaking to each other. and, second, they were roird to be here on the floor -- they were required to be here on the floor, so they were actually required to listen to each other. after all the evidence had been presented, senators started to engage back and forth about their interpretations of the evidence, about the standards that would constitute grounds for conviction, and you would not have been able to tell who was republican or who was a democrat. we had a real debate, but it took years to have that first debate. then we had a debate over the start treaty, and that was a pretty good debate, too. that happened just after -- that also happened just a couple w

a united states senator and as a united states senator and and is done throughout her entireyo career.mi u.s. jeni maryland or what they think about senator mikulski and they will start out by saying she is a fighter and then they will say we are glad she is on our side. she is an effective fighter for the people from protectingn neighborhoods from an unwanted highway to keeping jobs in maryland from being shipped overseas. there is no more effective playerht than senator barbara mikulski. she has protected herra strengthening of the u.s. this program and her position on the appropriations committee. she provided equity in health care from the health committee and she stands for up for our federal workers, advancing equity issues in the list goes on and on and on. she is taken or social worker background and her political training for more politics in east baltimore and her hard work ethic from her parents and her own common sense to be a voice for working families in the halls of the united states senate. on a personal note i want to take of my friends were always being there for me, wo

senator, woman senator in the history of the united states. [cheers and applause] and she would be the first to tell you the great this is not in the longevity but the quality of service. for all of us to and no senator mikulski she has never lost the common touch for the everyday man and woman. this makes her the greatest representative. now i present governor o'malley, united states senator barbara mikulski. [applause] >> good morning, everybody. what a beautiful day the lord has given us to bring us together in friendship, fellowship and freedom. and its is all leave the o'malley block of the irish that could bring out the sun shine on a day like today. remember the weather forecast? stormy weather. o'malley changed that. remember the economic forecast? stormy weather. o'malley is going to change that too. it is a fair day for the o'malleys, a bad hair day for me. my heart is filled with joy today. here we are for this historic occasion. the 77inauguration of a maryland gov.. martin o'malley will become our 64th governor, the oldest state c

in with the united states senate, the united states house and said, these are judicial emergencies. 94 vacancies, 44 of them they considered emergencies. they need somebody in their immediately and right still because of this constant filibuster we're in -- it is a filibuster without real debate but it wastes a lot of time -- it prevents our ability to put those judicial nominations on the floor and to get an up-or-down vote. the same thing is true, i think, of the executive branch. senator merkley, i know you sought article in "the washington post" which was at the end of -- i know you saw the article in "the washington post," which was at the end of the obama president sivment he only had 5% of his people in place, of the top people to run the government. it isn't all our fault. i think they were slow in sending some things up. but it is a pretty appalling number when you think to yourself the job of a president is to put his people in place in the agencies so his policies can be carried out. and what has happened is that has been delayed and slowed down, and i harass ken bark --

but i am sorry that we're going to miss him here in the united states senate. and i join with the entire senate family in wishing judd and kathleen the very best in the years ahead. >> next, q&a with robert samuelson. then the documentary on the supreme court. >> tomorrow, on "washington journal" -- andrew biggs discusses the financial solvency of social security. and brandon roberts. "washington journal," live at 7:00 a.m. eastern on c-span. >> maturity in a time of pettiness, calm anytime a banker, that is what the nation asks of the united states senate and that is what this office and that is what this office demands

again, maintaining the hallmark of the united states senate. at the end of ample debate, however, there would be an up-or-down vote on an amendment, a bill, a nominee. my proposal would restore a basic and essential principle of representative democracy. majority rule in a legislative body. i also think there's another advantage. i think it would lead to greater compromise. many have argued that it's the filibuster that forces compromise and collaboration. i disagree. the fact is, right now the minority has no real incentive to compromise. why should they? if they can totally block something and then go out and campaign on the message that the majority just couldn't get anything done? so again, the minority has a great deal of power but zero incentive really to compromise. i think my proposal would encourage a more robust spirit of compromise. if the minority knows that at the end of the day, at the end of eight days that 51 votes will be enough to bring a bill to the floor or to end debate on an amendment or a nominee, it would seem to me that

make the point that the united states senator -- united states senator ought to have the guts, just ought to have the guts to stand up and say, look, this is important to me. i'm the individual who ought to be held accountable. and senator grassley in that midwestern way just always manages to get these issues down to what they're really all about. it's about accountability. and, as senator grassley says, it's really about guts. i would also mention what's striking about the secret hold, mr. president, is that astounding power -- and i think it's only fair to describe it that way. i mean i know of few powers that an elected official has that resemble the ability to anonymously block a bill or a nomination that affects millions of people. it is an astounding power and for years and years it has never been written down anywhere. now, as part of the ethics legislation that was passed a few years ago, we were able to get a watered-down version of secret holds reform in there. but literally to think that a power like this so sweeping, almost unrivaled in terms of the powers an elected of

states senate also. we began this in 2010, it's time to finish the job in 2012. fundraising is key here. we have to raise presidential trust money, we have to fund the victory offices and efforts at all of the state levels. we also have to get out of the debt that we are currently carrying at the republican national committee. there is much to do in terms of fundraising. i think also i offer some real political savvy. when i in my 20 years of experience -- i have served at the most grassroots level, i was a three-term chairman of the missouri republican party, the first and only woman to do so. and during tough election cycles, when i took things over in 1998 here in missouri, we had nothing but debt and we built back, winning a governor's race, united states senate race, three congressional seats and the crown jewel, i think, was the missouri legislature. it was a great day when we won the missouri senate and the missouri house of representatives. so i know how to win elections, i know how to win them i

with the united states senate, the united statee house said these are judicial emergencies, vacancies 44 of them to consider emergencies.. they need somebody in there immediately. and yet still, because of this constant filibuster it is a witt filibuster without real debates but wastes a lot of time at present our ability to put thosd judicial nominations on the floor and to get an up or down s vote. i nae same thing is true i think of the executive branch. sen mentor merkley camano use of the article in "the washington f post," which was at the end of w the first year of the obama at e presidency. he only had 55% of his team in % place of the top people on the agency to run the government.en. and it is not all our fault. setting things up but it's a pretty appalling number when you think to yourself the job of president is to put his people l in place in the agency said the policies can be carried out andh been delayed and slowed down, and i hearken back when i was ai youngster in washington growing up i was about 12-years-old whed my father became secretary of. the interior, and her

give the american people a vote in the united states senate. let them hear where every one of the 100 senators are. put them on record. if they like obamacare so much, vote against the repeal. if you stand where i do, vote to repeal it. i predict the majority votes are in the senate today to pass the repeal of obamacare. mr. speaker, i believe the american people will put their request over to the united states senate, over and over and over again, until that they hot potato, very large hot potato gets larger and hotter as it sits in the lap of the majority leader, harry reid, until such time as the american people get a vote in the united states senate. yes, i recognize that the president would veto such legislation. but we would then know, would already know, every member in the house of representatives stands, we would then know where every member in the united states senate stands, and we would be able to see how much resolve the president has to protect his signature legislation and whether he cares more about his signature piece of legisl

states senate. that is what the public demands of each to serve here. >> search for fair will speeches and hear from retiring senators at the c-span video library with every stamp program 19 cents 87. all on line, all free. it is washington your way. >> >> , columbia university host a national leadership meeting for the "no labels" organization. it brings together americans of all political affiliations and immobilizes citizens against hyper-partisanship. the group plans to expand into all 435 congressional districts in 2011. in this session, speakers include newark, new jersey mayor corey brooks. one hour. r general david walker. this is one hour. >> >>

, the republican leader of the united states senate, mitch mcconnell. [applause] >> distinguished guests and friends, as we all know, we have come here to tell the rest of the story. to acknowledge the profound in dignity of the slaves who helped clear this land and lay the stones' most of suffered in building this great monument of freedom. for nearly a century after the declaration of independence was signed, an entire race of people in our country or deny the god- given rights. finally, because in remembering .he slaves who labored here for all of these reasons, we are grateful for the work of the slave labor task force, chaired by our good friend john lewis and device chaired by blanche lincoln. without it, we would not have these plaques. we would not know some of the stories that have come down to us as part of the research. senator lincoln has already told you the story of philip reed. it is so interesting, it bears repeating. as you just learned, he played an unlikely role in finishing the construction of the capital as it appears today. origina

directer of the united states senate committee on the environment and public works and the united states senate committee on finance, both of which were chaired by senator moynihan. richard eaton is my husband, and he is -- [laughter] a federal judge on the u.s. court of international trade. he served in many capacities in senator moynihan's office including two stints as chief of staff. now, senator charles schumer is our keynote speaker. he's down at the end of this panel. [laughter] he is the senior senator for new york state, and his is a remarkable career of public service. he first ran for public office upon graduating from harvard law school at the age of 23. he has never lost an election. [applause] [laughter] he was elected to the u.s. senate in 1998 where he worked side by side nator moynihan. he has been and is an advocate for moynihan station, and he will report, i am sure, on today's groundbreaking which was made possible with federal stimulus funding that senator schumer helped direct towards this project. and we are all so grateful to you, senator schumer, for this. and on

if you don't want to vote, don't run for the united states senate. and the third thing that would restore the period of the 1980's, according to senator byrd would be the end of three-day work week. the senate convenes on most mondays for a bed check vote at 5:30. the senate during 2010, did not vote on one single friday. let me repeat that. the united states senate, in the year 2010, did not vote on one single friday. it is not possible for the minority to have the opportunity to offer debate and vote on amendments or for the majority to forcefully confront a filibuster if every senator knows the will never be a vote on friday. now, there are some other steps that can be taken to help the senate function better without impairing minority rights. one bipartisan suggestion has been tend the practice of secret holds. it seems reasonable to suggest or to expect a senator who intends to hold up a bill or nomination to allow his colleagues and the world to know who he or she is, so that the merits of the hold can be evaluated and debated. second, there is

if you don't want to vote, don't run for the united states senate. and the third thing that would restore the period of the 1980's, according to senator byrd would be the end of three-day work week. the senate convenes on most mondays for a bed check vote at 5:30. the senate during 2010, did not vote on one single friday. let me repeat that. the united states senate, in the year 2010, did not vote on one single friday. it is not possible for the minority to have the opportunity to oer debate and vote on amendments or for the majority to forcefully confront a filibuster if every senator knows there will never be a vote on friday. now, there are some other steps that can be taken to help the senate function better without impairing minority rights. one bipartisan suggestion has been to end the practice of secret holds. it seems reasonable to suggest or to expect a senator who intends to hold up a bill or nomination to allow his colleagues and the world to know who he or she is, so that the merits of the hold can be evaluated and debated. second, there

the chaplain of the united states senate will deliver the benediction. after the invocation, i invite you all to participate in the celebration at the reception following. thank you all for coming. as i look around a room, i see so many of you. i want to come up to each area and ask you to sign my program. you all are very special guests. we are honored by your presence, and now we will unveil a plaque. [applause] >> there are many honors afforded leaders in the congress. today is a very special day for all of us because to be a part of this ceremony, to be standing here with john lewis and blanche lincoln who made this possible. come on up here. [applause] are there other members of the task force here, too? come on, barbara. i am just seeing that the secretary of labor is with us here today. harry has to go vote. >> now we are going to do something and now you all love to do, parade. -- pray. >> lord god almighty, creator and sustainer of the universe, accept our thanksgiving for the contributions of enslaved african americans to the construction of th

but it's been eight years now since i've been in the united states senate. i'm exceptionally proud to represent my state. alaska has the greatest per capita population of any state in the union. they served on the indian affairs community since my very first day in the united states senate and i hope to continue in that committee for many years to come. president dream to come you got it right and reflecting on the success of indian country in advancing the agenda before congress in our 2009, 2010 session. i think it's important to note that the seeds of the state trees were planted many, many years before we harvested the success of our labors. it took more than a decade of hard, hard work by ncai from the national indian health board and the national health committee to get the improvement act to the president's desk and it took a long time, but we're successful with that. the tribal law and order act was first introduced back in 2008 when i was vice-chairman with senator dorgan on the indian affairs committee and worked with him to advance that bill. that

i will not be a candidate for reelection to a fifth term to the united states senate in 2012. that was not an easy decision for me to make. i loved serving in the senate. i felt good about what i accomplished. >> and that is senator joe lieberman. he ran last time as an independent. democratic senator kent conrad is not going to run again. a bunch of other senate democrats fighting tough reelection fights in 2012. any thoughts on what the next senate is going to look like? >> right now looks good for the republicans. but obviously, two years is a lifetime in politics. every democrat up in 2006 -- 20121 in 2006, a great democratic year. republicans to survive and 2006 are pretty strong. you have a lot of states that are purple that turned red since then. pennsylvania, ohio, florida, go right through the list. michigan even. >> numbers are terrible for democrats. >> lieberman and conrad have been around for a long time. >> democrats keep a connecticut, and north dakota -- after 2012 is unlikely there will be any democrat. >> you have this institution. what does it cost you to lo

two weeks ago are retired from the united states senate. 35 years, seven elections later, thank you, sargent shriver. [applause] years before that speech that night in connecticut, i became aware of unison and sarge shriver as a high-school student. i went to georgetown preparatory school in suburban maryland. in those days, the shriver home boarded on that jesuit school property. during the warmer days of spring or early fall, i remember watching eunice shriver working or playing with eight or 10 special needs children in their backyard. before it became the global movement, eunice and sarge called what today would be referred to as a play date the special olympics. only it is could find eight or 10 children and college the special olympics. how emblematic of these people, especially yunis in this case, to empower those children with the notion that they, too, could be olympians, striving, competing, reaching their goals. and what an incredible impression they left on the 17- year-old as i watched them from that perspective of the schoolyard. the sister and brother-in-law of the pre

united states senate was not that unanimous in its decision barack obama's opposition in the senate wanted to sink down the treaty to make amendments to it and even though they failed to do so when vets who fired the t.t. back into set late december two thousand and ten they attached a resolution to it that is worth eleven pages worth of remarks to the treaty and now more makers counteract those remarks the resolution by the u.s. senate suggests that the treaty should not restrict nato or the united states from deploying its anti-missile defense shield to europe however this is something that russia opposed to from the start russia always wants it's with signing the streets to connect offensive and defensive nuclear weapons and to make sure that. or the u.s. did not proceed with their plans of deploying a.m.d. to here without russia's participation so the resolution by the russian lawmakers suggests that in case after rectifying the treaty the u.s. proceed with the plan that russia will be able to pull out of the treaty i believe . on the american side of the they will proceed with

present our ability to deliver eight without time limits essential and unique to the united states senate. it is supposed to be that way. it is in our dna. is one of the many traits and template designed distinguished this body from the house of representatives and from every other legislative body in the world. it at his eyes been central to the senate and it should be. but when that arrangement is abused, we have to do something. not merely in the name of efficiency are the sake of political parties fortune in the next election. wen. attacked is when abuses kep us from doing our work theyp deter us from working togetherfo and they stop us from working for the american people. within these four walls that degrades the relationship that makes the senate round. spe cordis peschel about the senate is that this body operates by consensus. it runs on if fuel made of comedy and trust m. o when abuses happened or when kelly cusack in bad faith and degrades that i fuel and the senate stalls.ere there are nearly as many opinions on what to do about senate as there are senators. senators harkin an

. >> i will not be a candidate for reelection to the united states senate in 2012. >> he lost his party's primary in 2006 and was also al gore's running mate. he says after 40 years in elected office is time for a new chapter in his life. >>> a unique blood bank got its first deposit this morning. is the bay area's new and public cord blood bank and john fowler has the story. >> i am very happy that i did it and i hope that it save somebody's life. >> reporter: they donated their babies cord blood, the first two san francisco's first-ever public cord blood bank. >> if we blood for our own kids in may or may not be used but if we donated, somebody could use it. >> reporter: doctors a cord blood contains pluripotent stem cells that can turn into virtually any kind of sound the body and for sick children, treatment with those stem cells is there only chance at life. >> if it is successful, then you are cured. >> reporter: doctors say people of colors, asian, and those of mixed race have a slim chance of finding a marrow donor and that having cord blood saves lives. >> i think it is a great t

you really can't get anything through the united states senate theseor than 60 votes. the need to vote on whether or not to have a vote. that is the situation we are in. we have 70 votes to the bill. if it comes to a vote. we got the late for two reasons. there are concerns that the national security exception didn't go far enough. everyone is agreeing national security information is off the table. if you are a reporter you are protecting someone who leaked national security information. you go to jail. that is the way it is. if you are going to insist on protecting that particular source. then we were making fairly decent progress or over the summer having lots of meetings. then we had wiki leaks number one. that caused a lot of people in congress to -- just sucked all the air out of the room. they were working on amendments in case the national security exception is not clear enough we are going to ed this additional prong that says anybody else out there who dumps data over the internet they are not covered either. we are running out of time. >> i want to ask you w

much as i admire christine o'donnell and wanted to see her in the united states senate. >> eleanor. >> worst theater, sarah palin killing bambi and bludgeoning the halibut, and at the risk of mixing my met that force or my fish, she jumped the shark on that. her polls are dismal. 80% of women do not like sarah palin and cannot imagine her as president. >> what about ratings on the learning chapel on sunday night? >> through the roof. >> i don't think that's going all that well, either. >> monica? >> the show is doing quite nicely. i'm not worried about sarah palin. >> it will now. >> worst political theater, nancy pelosi with that absurdly cartoonish giant gavel that she schlept to the house of representatives on the day of the time obama care vote. >> mark. >> i would say it was the terrible acting of so many political lead whers the wikileaks exposed a lot of their private communications trying to give suggestion that these weren't significant. >> worst political theater, the confirmation hearings for the u.s. supreme court justice elena kagan featuring a stacked democratic majority

states senate. sergeant would remind me on every occasion he saw me, the only reason i was successful was because of my peace corps experience that made all of the difference. now while i'll always intend the peace corps held a unique and special status, his other contributions to the agenda of america are nothing short of stunning. as i think back on my 30 years in the senate, i now realize that i not only represented the people of connecticut, i represented sergeant shriver, public service inc.. i will tell you the most rewarding work was to protect, expand, and contribute to head start, the national service corporation, community action programs, and so had other shriver initiatives. children and their families across the country. over the past few days and of the weeks to come, of course, there will be numerous occasions to celebrate the words, the accomplishments, and the countless contributions that sergeant shriver and others of that era, those leaders that made for our country over a century

now, the filibuster is an interesting creature that exists only in the united states senate. the filibuster is a peculiar animal that could only thrive in a small institution like the senate. a filibuster in the house of representatives would lead to utter chaos. you cannot have 435 people being able to slow down or even stop the legislative process. that would not work in the house. if there are people that are you it does not work in the senate either. basically, the history of the filibuster is fascinating because when it really comes down to -- i think almost any of you who have been in an organization that uses robert's rules of order know about the previous question -- when something must come to a vote. from the early 19th century until around the time of the first world war, there was no way at all to stop debate in the united states senate and come to 8 vote unless it was by unanimous consent. interestingly enough, much of what the senate does today is by unanimous consent. if you think about how it is possible that 100 men and women, democrats, all republicans, cent

united states senator. call the able and honorable public service i have worked with i want to thank. and the gifted and devoted people who have served with me as staff and who are exemplified here today by two people -- my chief of staff and valued counselor who began work with me in 1978 and sherry brown, my state director and an undefeated campaign manager who started work with me in 1980. [applause] i do want to make clear that they both were hardly of voting age when they began with me. [laughter] this is a day when it is natural that i stepped back and try to take a broader perspective on what is happening here and all the blessings that i have had. i came back to one of my favorite metaphors for the american spirit which comes from the great american novel written right here in connecticut by mark twain "the adventures of huckleberry finn." in that book, huck and jim wright and the raft along the big river that has always, to me, represented american history. in one sense, most obviously by the way t

states senate in action. make that inaction. when it comes to passing a bill and deciding to vote on the bill a majority in the senate isn't enough. why? because it takes 60 votes to stop the bill. without those 60 votes, a few senators-- even one-- can prevent a vote from occurring. that's what they call a filibuster. >> the senate was s a graveyard for good ideas. >> reporter: new mexico senator tom udall wants to change the rules that he says has brought the senate to a grinding halt. >> it's very hard to actually make a difference on something unless you change those rules. >> wild horses aren't going to drag me off this floor. >> reporter: this is what we think a filibuster looks like. jimmy stewart's mr. smith going to washington to stand and fight against a majority. or in the 1950s and '60s, trying to stop majorities from passing a civil rights law. >> we expect to keep talking until the bill is defeated. >> reporter: strom thurman holds the record for the longest filibuster, 24 hours plus, and he was

in 1994, i decided to run for the united states senate. i beat the incumbents badly. no one thought he could be beaten. everyone wanted to run for an open governor's seat. in 1994, i won. only two democratic incumbents lost in 1994. i defeated a democratic incumbent again. i defeated a democratic incumbents to run the house. the-democratic -- democratic incumbent to win the house. i defeated a democratic incumbent to win thathe senate. we put term limits on our leaders. we made rule changes to make congress accountable. i led the fight on the floor of the united states senate as a freshman member in my second year in office. to reform the welfare system. i worked with the clinton administration and the house and we were able to craft a compromise to do something that had never been done in the history of america, to end a broad federal entitlement. welfare reform passed in 1996. we pass with 17 votes. we ended entitlement and got almost half of the democratic caucus to join us because of the way we work to get it done. did we compromise? yes, we did. if we compromise

be ready to read immediately but the united states senate doesn't that seem now to missing their decision up above disposition. to see their seats by trying to amend it they do so by eleven pages lord marks a visit to. the state duma deputies are meeting. mark. ballas them there. to see if he was accepted by the states it is in the first meeting state they are proceeding with their second meeting the last one the third they can take place and it's going to take their civil action deputies instead of the one to make sure the chicken out of the streets in case the united states pilots need surface of the ship to post so there . was a way to listen. to these concerns that nato supply and stupid deploy its same time missile defense shield and you also adept these bolts of. sure . rectifying this receipt not decreasing the monkeys defense of paper he said that the other problem is that while we do see the number of nuclear warheads. grades remaining. on cspan to make the same promise you know it was tedious it before will take place in the spring see it all january and hopefully shortly after

that is what the nation asks of the united states senate and that is what this office demands of each who serve here. >> search for their real speeches in here for a return centers on the c-span video library, with every c-span program since 1987. more than 160,000 hours, all on line, all free. it is washington, your way. but now a discussion on congress and politics in 2011, as well as the 2012 presidential election. from today's "washington journal," this is about 30 minutes. minutes.

states senate wasn't up to now them isn't their decision they're up above the opposition. like to see their picture of the treaty by trying to mend amends it's safe to do so but they included eleven pages worth of marks and visions detained by the state duma deputies are easy to mark. ballas them but they're no good seats he was accepted by the states it was a piece in the first meeting state they are proceeding with their second meeting the last one the third meeting will take place on the twenty fifth there's several things russian deputies concerned the one to make sure the should get out to the streets in case the united states violates any terms of the treaty oh so there will be. dozens of people. to listen. to the fifty's concerned with nato splats do you deploy it same time missile defense shield and you also adept these baltic. sure that that's occurring this week she would not be decreasing the funky defensive capabilities that president barack obama has promised why would you see the number of nuclear warheads what he might do upgrades the remaining lines. once h

states senate, somebody is standing up and talking, they will switch the picture to somebody that's listening. that's not allowed in the house or senate where the cameras are controlled by both the house and senate staff. who sets that and how loose is it? >> well, it's -- i don't think the rules has changed in 20 years but the interpretation of the rules has changed by miles. and what we've always pressed for is access to listening shots which we're careful to describe as reaction shots. the house authorities have been happy to relax and relax so you can actually watch people listening. it sounds unimportant but why it matters, we -- the pictures are dead, you have no sense oaf -- sense of the atmosphere. it's one person reading out loud, could be to nobody, could be to anybody, you have to see the reaction. it's what you expect when you watch any kind of outside broadcast or debate. over time, that -- the house authorities here have realized that actually, they'll get a better hearing if the people see what they're actually doing in a more realistic way. >> how long did it take fo

states senate. it is time to finish the job in 2012. fundraising is key here. we have to raise presidential trust money, funded the victory offices, and efforts at all of the state levels. we are also carrying a deficit in the republican national committee. there's much to do in terms of fund raising. i offer real political savvy. in my 20 years of experience, i observed at the most grassroots level as that township committee woman. i was the first and only woman to do so here it the missouri republican party. and during a tough election cycle, when i took over in 1998 here in missouri, we had nothing but debt. we built that winning at governor's race, three congressional seats, and the crowning jewel was the missouri legislature. it was a great day when we won the missouri senate and the missouri house of representatives. i know how to win elections. i know how to win in talk battleground states in missouri. i had great success in doing that. after returning from a u.s. ambassadorship in luxembourg

states senators, the speaker of the house, and a host of others, the mayor of los angeles, all are on the committee. george shultz and his wife charlotte. but we also have a very good working committee, which includes some prominent san franciscans. tom perkins, renown sailor. we have walter and alan newman on that committee. icahn also include ellen on the association of disabled sailors. we have the rear commodore of the st. francis yacht club. this committee has been meeting for about two months. i see this entire proposal as a three-legged stool. the first you will discuss in detail, and it has to do with the port and physical facilities and the trade-offs that the sponsors get for using the port. what do they give, and what is good for the taxpayers? i will leave that to your judgment. the second leg is the america's cup event authority, and that is the authority that is going to raise $270 million to put on a host of regattas are around the world, including the 2012 and 2013 races on the bay. our committee is committed to helping them in that regard, and those are primarily corp