Me i feel privileged to chat with an old and dear friend senator john warner. He is approaching old age. But you would never know it. Talking about old times and i was thinking about his career which is incredible with world war ii and korea but he was always willing to jump in and participate. He did a lot of things so stop but monday start in the seventies that became the head of the bicentennial commission to remember the tall ships in the wonderful celebration. And that to bring the country together we could use Something Like that. And there he went to the United States senate was elected in 1878 it was 5000 votes but that was pretty much the end of his contest but mainly he was unopposed from early 79 all the way from 2009 and then he was defeated by another warner that was completely not related. But just on a personal note and it describes his life when he ran for a senate i was already a pundit back then as the hobo no real employment that mattered in to do the things that made no difference so i wrote a real nasty piece about john warner. Most politicians would have never spoken to me again but instead he called me and said i want you to get to know me maybe he will criticize me but make sure you know what youre talking about. We got together and sure enough the friendship endured. Ease serve not just virginia but the nation he served our National Interest not his partys interest. So i am extremely pleased and proud to have the honor to introduce senator john warner. [applause] a standing ovation. I appreciate that. That tells you something. Nobody told them to do that. So senator, just getting right into it because weve been talking on the phone a good deal and talking backstage a few minutes ago but talking about whats wrong with our system today . Because the extreme polarization has hurt us in a lot of different ways and nationally. And i hear this from both parties grooming people for Public Office they dont want to run anymore. Of course the ones that are in this room are the exception. But a lot of your colleagues you are not here right now dont fall into that category. Senator, you are there for so many years, you took the arrows for the controversial things that you did not just democrats and republicans but the pundits that i really hate and they are worthless. They were attacking you for what you did that you stay there and toughed it out. What can we do to attract people who want to serve the National Interest and not just their partys interest quex. First before we get to serious i want to lighten it up a little bit. First i want to introduce my wife jeannie she has to go through all the daily. [applause] and that ties into the theme of what i want to talk about with Public Service every Public Service starts with your family and the commitment your wife and your children. Because so much time is taken away by the events and you owe it to them to make sure they are solid. Im on the road all the time. Now george and i have as much fun together going and coming. His voice is stronger than mine overpowering the 6foot 2 inches will hit you down the hall. And there is his lovely wife right next to him. Bobby are you still here cracks so we put together the first africanamerican on the bench. And now with a 200 year plus history to never have a man or woman on the federal bench. Want you to help me select that individual and our guest earlier today on the circuit court. I had wonderful experiences. But every one of us are facing a challenge today. But now i go back and reflect on the basis of my thoughts. Traveling for the senate to say after rush home and get home to the district. Senators go from the tip of the state all the way out to Northern Virginia to the atlantic ocean. [laughter] so senators have a lot more to cover than the members of the house. But there is a few here that mia voted for me one time or another. [laughter] because i enjoyed it and enjoyed every minute of it. And this just shows you how politics worked in those days. If you are 80 years old give or take 81, whatever. Nobodys trying to send you to jail. Is time for someone to step forward even though democrats offered not to run anybody for me to give them one year to decide who should run so i took the option and here i am today. But we are here to talk about what we can do. With so many young people they often here we admire you. I appreciate that very much but how do you get into politics clicks a very fundamental question. I did not spend the time trying to answer their questions. So here i am i will dedicate my efforts working with my buddy over here if you cant beat them join them. Thats what i did. [laughter] he established himself not only in virginia but nationwide on politics. He is not picking one or the other is just on the system of policy. Together will come up with a concept and sell it to the state. Of having the all day work session and to be interested in serving then sign up if you get here youre on your own its a tight schedule. But we will introduce you to public figures all over the state and tell you what its like in hopes that you can make up your mind that you better know before you get in it and today thats very important for reasons that were not present when i came into politics and thats the severity of the technology in my 30 years now 40 years all the things that have been developed from internet and social media and spacecraft and all kinds of things. Todays political figures have to have those voices that learn because of that spectrum of problems to be confronted with his unlimited. So i will just stumble through a story to make a point clear. My campaign was over a year and two months and for one year to travel with the dog and pony show all over the commonwealth with picnics and then we came down to which we have to decide. So we came up with the idea lets have a convention. 100,100 people showed up at the coliseum for that convention. I will never forget it. It went on into late at night i remember my Campaign Manager said you were on the ballot he said get out there start a parade and dont let it and until after midnight. What does that have to do with it clicks he said at the stroke of 1214th of this audience are evangelical in their beliefs they have to quit politics its the sabbath and they are going home and you are going to lose. [laughter] i said i have to think about this that is distrustful and fraudulent and he said its up to you if you want to be a senator then get them on a parade and if you dont then pay me off and im gone. I didnt and i lost and then we had the tragedy that played at the top of the tree and he lost his life and i was given 90 day days. I didnt have one stick of furniture to put together a campaign to seek that election i got into it again and then i won the nomination. And by the way the Republican Party is said you are not conservative enough. You have to commit to do this. I dont make any commitments. This is something i will never forget. A woman very quietly said my husband lost his life. He would be here tonight telling you to give the nomination to warner. Dead silence. I walked out next day they announced it. So now with the last story i think its fun to hear about people with their achievements and if theyve made a difference so with a campaign by opponent was very able democrat his family had been part of the famous machine but he was well known as an attorney general a good campaigner and a good guy. So when old town alexander the odds were against and we went to the debate and then the moderators said each of you have two minutes to stand before this crowd and in very simple language tell them one reason why you should be the next senator. The attorney general got up and looked him in the eye and didnt say anything and stood there. Hes just burning up his time. Then he looked them in the eye and said elect me i was born a virginian. Dead silence in the room and i said dear god give me the strength to say what to do now. Eighteen months ive been trying to do this. What do i do clicks i said go for it so i got up and i said im very impressed with what my opponent said tonight and you should take it into consideration there is a book i call it the virginia way we know how things have been done its just the way. So i get up and theres my mother 86 years old and i said mom, you heard my opponent and we have great pride she said i heard him to. But i want him to know that if i ever thought our little boy wanted to be a United States senator i would cross the Potomac River in the state of virginia that broke the audience up and i was that election 48 hours later one half of 1 percent of the vote. It shows the importance of what you are doing here today and what you have done. About the need to only get the best and the brightest coming to our political system i hope we initiate that work session for those that want to know more about fundamental politics but the importance of family but we are not here to convince you with other expert people and i would like to have an honest to god old time for him of what it means to be a politician and what is to be expected and more of you will come and step up to the challenge. [applause] that was wonderful. The easiest interview i have ever done. [laughter] senator i want to ask she wants to come up and say hello. But im doing it. , and appeared gd. She is a small token we are presenting you with the virginia heritage wine commissioned by the American Revolution in honor of this commemoration bracket you have a designated driver works i want to make sure theres no drinking. We have a wonderful time our panel wants to come out and shake your hand before you have leaving the stage you still have good ideas and we also love the history. Thank you very much. [applause] [applause] hello diane. You deserve half the credit. We will have a good panel on Civic Engagement. There are not many examples we can site currently but we will have a good conversation on what we can do to strengthen Civic Engagement and civility. We have a fantastic group of people to discuss this i want to tell frank something just between us you cannot listen. Frank you wrote a wonderful script and suggestions for the panel. I loved it. These three panelists insisted on rewriting. Do not blame me for the subjects they will bring up that we all agree on that. Thank you so much. There will be some controversial topics discussed. Not necessarily with our first speaker because he is somebody we all know his work in the great things hes done in virginia the second speaker is bobby scott representative from the third Congressional District of virginia ive known them since the seventies. He is our congressional dean and then we have the Virginia House of delegates you may have seen them during the conference. I havent seen much of him but i have seen a lot of his son working with the center for politics and doing a nice job. I criticized him heavily anytime he gets the answer wrong he should know everything. Thats just my view. He knows both things but not everything. We will get to that but i want to start out by introducing a man i have not had the opportunity to meet before now because of the philanthropis philanthropist, he has done more for Historical Preservation institutions including monticello that anybody that i have ever come across. He does that quietly and effectively to think of the history we would not have preserved or discovered if not for you. So we will take this opportunity to thank you on behalf of everyone for what you have done and having focused on history what you can tell us about the ideas from that perspective. What im trying to do is remind people with the theory that if you remember the past you might not make the mistakes that isnt a Novel Concept that that theory is we may learn something from it. One of the problems we have now is not being taught American History in the school systems. And king graduate from any College Without taking in American History course 80 percent have a history major without a history course so think about this in a recent survey done by the Annenberg Foundation three quarters of americans cannot name the three branches of government and one third cannot name one branch. 30 percent of americans think George Washington crossed the rhine river during the revolutionary war. [laughter] more High School Sophomores can name the first three names of the three stooges versus Founding Fathers in College Graduates now believe judge judy is a member of the supreme cour court. So think about this. Now anybody here is a naturalized citizen . If you are naturalized citizen you have to reside for five years and then take a citizenship test. One hundred questions you have to get 60 right. 90 percent of those who take the test pass it. 91 percent pass. Survey done by the Wilson Foundation discovered if you give the same test to people who are native born americans only citizens in vermont could pass it the average student could not pass the basic citizenship test there is no one way to solve it but in a modest way i am trying to buy some historic documents like emancipation proclamation bill of rights and constitution to put them in places where they can see them. Why you can put a facsimile or the constitution but the human brain has not evolved to treat the document the same if you see the original magna carta which i bought and is now on the permanent display then you read about it and why its important and significant. The same thing is true on the Washington Monument because it could take too long monticello iwo jima will memorial needed some work i said let me fix them up and i will pay for it maybe more americans will visit them to learn about history. Ive also tried to help members of Congress Learn about history so i started a program five years ago to educate members of congress and i interview them i usually get about 200 members of congress and now i wont say that peace is broken out in washington dc but they do learn more about history. So to summarize what im trying to do to help with Civic Engagement of people think more about the good and the bad. Jefferson was extraordinary man writing the declaration of independence that he was a slave owner so when i put up money to help monticello be restored i said people should know for all of his strengths he was a slave owner and the same is true with montpelier. So the people can see the good and the bad but as people learn more about history will be more informed citizens the theory of democracy is you have informed citizenry but if you dont then democracy will not work as well thats my basic premise. Thats a tremendous premise. [applause] that you are leaving the unbelievable legacy and you caught some of these things just in time. But what i was really impressed with was your ability to look in a balanced way of historical figures they were not perfect like us me were incredibly perfect but some of them had faults i consider that a big plus from religious freedom we can go on and on. You knew better but you have to balance the accomplishments on that less attractive site dont we all want that with our obituary dont we want to balance cracks i would love to see that view of history and historical figures. When we were in grade school we may have ray read how Great Washington once we would have the revolutionary war or got off to a good start but he was a slave owner as well freeing slaves upon his death we have had with our faults with Founding Fathers nobodys perfect if you mention obituaries think about this. There was a man sitting down in stockholm in 1888 reading to the newspaper and read his own obituary from that day. Alfred nobel the inventor of dynamite was sitting at his breakfast and read alfred nobel has died the merchant of death is gone actually was his younger brother who had died that he had the advantage look at his own obituary. So if you were going to read your own obituary tomorrow would you be happy with what you read cracks if the answer is not yet you have time so i try to tell people think about this the earth is 5 billion years old homo sapiens are roughly 400,000 we are modest in the grand scheme and our Life Expectancy is around 90 years so what you can do in your lifetime is finite but we are here for such a short time in relative terms we should try to take advantage of it to do something to leave a mark and say yes i can justify my existence on the face of the earth. This is what i have done and i am proud of what i have done by parents and children and grandchildren are proud so just think about what you can do. So i try to do patriotic philanthropy to give back to our country all philanthropy is patriotic and honest but when you do things to remind their history and heritage which im trying to do it gives attribute to our country. Now all of you say youre already doing good things great and if youre not to then think about this im convinced those that give back to their country will live a longer life. All of you want to live a long life but i say that because people to give back are happy and happy people live longer grumpy people dont live as long if youre going to be happy then try to do that now perk im also convinced theres a special place for people to give back to their country why would you like to take a chance that im wrong . [laughter] i love that. I agree with you. If you are a betting person you would take that bet and you have you set the standard for everybody else. We will come back i want to go to mister chairman of the education and Labor Committee i used to call him congressman now i have to call him mister chairman. I knew him as a state senator and he was more informal than. But i love him i always have hes a terrific guy. He has long been a supporter of Public Education in general and Civic Education in particular. People are not born that chairman scott is the exception because his mom was a Science Teacher his father was the first africanamerican to serve on Newport News School board. About in a century. Thats a long time ago we already established you want to take care of that. Said he has education in his blood. So i want to ask first about the role of cultivating good citizenship and civility. If you are in an institution where civility is in short supply. How do you deal with this today cracks is there any coming back quex. I mentioned before the virginia delegation thank you for making that a priority most dont have that but we certainly did and we have john warner to thank with the virginia delegation thats the best in terms of cooperation so give john warner another hand. [applause] but education is extremely important. And with the debate issues how were going to debate someone . If you look at the budget you have tax cuts so you try to have civil debates with people you can debate. Ecretary and ask him a few questions. [applause]
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