[applause] >> we've got secretary of state el lane marshall in the house. plen applause] >> and mayor allan joins is here. [applause] >> well, it's been about a month now since the midterm elections, and in washington, at least, much of the chatter is still about the political implications of those elections, what the results mean for democrats, what they mean for republicans, and already, we're hearing what this means for the next election. and i have to tell you, i came to winston-salem because i believe that right now, there are bigger issues at stake for our country than politics. [ applause]