Transcripts For CSPAN Washington Journal 20130721

When theday july first. July 21. Ourl minds are open phone lines are open. We will begin this morning with a story from the Washington Post, as dodd frank turns three. According to the Washington Post, the story points out that several watchdogs were asked tasked with writing 98 rules of the law in this according to representing Firm Financial institution. Jack lew telling an audience of investors on one stay that by the end of the year the core elements of the dotfrank act will be substantially in place. Herald, across the usa a rally cry as organizations by reverend al sharpen. A similar headline from the l. A. Times. We will see that and the second half of the program talking about the Trayvon Martin and the zimmerman verdict. Joining us on the phone is kevin , who is following all of this for politico. He is a finance reporter. Thank you for being with us. Guest thank you for having me. Are the main provisions of dodd frank and what impact has it had on wall street and banks . Guest dodd frank is a huge sweeping piece of legislation. It is comparable to a obamacare in the financial world. It does ising that it tries to prevent an economic slowdown like we saw in 2008. The way it does this is a variety of different mechanisms but one of the biggest mechanisms as to the creation of the Consumer Financial protection bureau. This the brainchild of elizabeth boring elizabeth warren. It gives the authority to make sure that some of the laws in the housing market, as well as some of the banking laws are rewritten in a way ask you about the vocal rule. This gets complicated unless you are an expert in financial market. It involves banks and trade. Is when youm line get to International Markets and , really whatments happened as one of the biggest criticisms of 2008, the biggest , its that were bailed out was argued they did not have enough savings in their bank accounts. Some of the provisions in dodd frank are requiring banks banks sohave Additional Savings they would not have to tap into Government Funds and taxpayer money in order to be dealt out. This step is tricky. When you think back to the great , 1930s, you have to remember a lot of these banks were not taking on and engaged in the business that they are doing now. These guys are now involved in a different type of business and it is a lot riskier. Speedre investing and the of it with technology and how Global Economy has evolved, this is taking on a lot more risk and it is so interconnected that , it isey messed up affecting a will it is a wide sweeping domino effect. Dodd frank includes nearly 400 provisions and regulations. According to your reporting and others in washington, congress has failed to implement more than half, 62 . There has been a renewed effort by the treasury secretary to get some of these regulations in place. Guest here is what it comes down to, partisan gridlock. There are a lot of people industry officials, perhaps some of them are a bit apprehensive of seeing dodd frank fully implemented. They are unsure about how the law will be interpreted. Also, with the speed of this the economy, it is in their best interest to have an implemented staff area that the biggest take away is that this slow pace can lead to market uncertainty. Think about it as a which has been created by government and wall street as a which which has been created by government and wall street officials. As a result, the market as a the economy continues to grow but probably at a slower pace that much people want. It leads to this perpetual state of apprehension. Should people care about this . Why is it important to the average american . Guest this directly affects the economy. It effects how people on wall street are trading and at the peaks and it effects everything. Protection this law is the number one purpose to prevent 2008 from happening again. If it is not fully implemented the argument becomes how do you host his work is Available Online. Inc. You for being with us. Thank you for being with us. Three years later, the impact on you and the economy of dodd frank. The phone lines tom says one of our viewers has this point on our twitter page your calls and thoughts on all of this coming up. In his weekly address the president is also looking at the dodd frank bill. The confirmation this past week, the confirmation part of the Nuclear Option, the attorney general of ohio was officially sworn in at the Consumer Protection financial bureau. [video clip] today, mortgage lenders, student lenders, payday lenders, and credit reporting and that collecting agencies all faces scrutiny. You now have somewhere to go to get some measure of justice if they do not play by the rules. Has address 100 75,000 complaints from every state. Canents and their parents get a simple report with the information they need to make informed decisions before taking up student loans. More than 700 colleges have stepped up to make this information clear and transparent. Have noticed that some credit card forms are easier to understand than they used to be, that is because of the work that the administration has done. Today veterans have the tools they need to defend against dishonest lenders and Mortgage Brokers who try to prey on them when they come home. Seniors are better protected from someone who sees their homes or Retirement Savings as an easy target. Thanks to the hardworking td, people have gotten refunds from unscrupulous practices. That is the money we cannot have have the power to recover before. Host the president looking at the dodd frank bill, three years alone when the president signed it into law in the reagan building. One of our viewers has this bob is joining us from new york city, democrats line, good morning. Caller thank you for cspan, good morning. It seems that we take one step forward and for step spack. Four steps back. The lobbyist for every industry, particularly for banking, they write the rules. They influence congress. They want forith themselves and their interests, not in the interests of the American People. I think the root of all evil in american politics is our Campaign Finance laws. Blanket andl we can solve the problems that exist , then the Campaign Finance Banking Industry is going to have complete power over the congress. Thank you very much for the call. This is Joseph Ramirez who says laura is joining us on the republican line from troy, michigan. Good morning to you. I have to say first i am a cspan junkie. I am utterly amazed at how fast people complain about the poor and those on welfare, look at what they are doing, they are stealing money. And yet, they totally look past the banks and wall street whose real millions and in some cases billions, far exceeding what the cheat the ever government or do whatever they claim they do. I concur with your last caller, Campaign Finance laws are a must. The other day i went to a stored to buy a tv. They were offering a discount of 15 if you had a charge card with thats your with that store. I was absolutely amazed that in some cases people are paying between 28 and 30 interest on charge cards. Think that is absolutely mandatory that something should be done because the poor will always be poor. The banks make them that way. Thank you and keep up the good work. Point ald has this again, join the conversation on our twitter page some other stories were following for you this morning, cq weekly focusing on the middle east and a photo with a photo of john kerry meeting with the head of the persian kingdom. Inside, this is what the story looks like pointing out that as the persian gulf states compete for influence, the United States is restrained by its need for military bases in the region. For senator ted kosten, who replaced joe biden, also serves as former chief of staff and , penned thisor piece online. The Davis Polk Law Firm has been keeping tabs on what has been accomplished, only 155 of the 398 rulemaking has been finalized. Allie is joining us from black river falls, wisconsin, democrats line. Three years after dodd frank, your thoughts . Three years. How many bankers it we put in jail how many bankers did it put in jail . Hundreds of billions of dollars. If i do not pay the are going to put me in jail. Street kers on wall the bankers on wall street stole hundreds of the liens of dollars. Hundreds of billions of dollars. Am a socialist. These are the good people. If they do not go to jail i will never vote again. Stephen henderson, who joined us friday as we talked about the situation in detroit, has this on the front page of the Detroit Free Press a white house spokesperson said they are remaining committed to recovery. The Vice President was even more aloof. The we do not know how the government can help detroit. It goes in large part to spectacular subsidized and abandonment and consistent Manufacturing Policy and retirement issues that are beginning to sink cities around the country. Thisre interested photograph really the strides the situation really describes the situation in detroit over the past 50 years. Any of the homes that have been torn down, this one remains standing. The story is focusing on the individual responsible for the bankruptcy proceeding. He is among a tiny handful of prominent american turnaround lawyers in the country. He was best known as helping to guide chrysler through its french slang that ship through its wrenching successful 2009 bankruptcy. Through its wrenching successful 2009 in courtesy. 2009 bankruptcy. Dodd frank, three years later. Micah is joining us from new york city, good morning. Caller good morning and thank you for cspan. I have been following this dodd frank situation and i thought it was a good law. [indiscernible] today they have not given me a final decision. I have to go to the attorney general. They are now going to send me a letter saying i did not give documents. They are a bunch of liars. They should stop this lobbying. They cannot help poor people. I have people struggling i lost my job, i was laid off. I am still making my payments every month. I just need some options because my Interest Rate is so high. That is all i wanted. I have a stack of documents. Thank you. Host thanks for the call. Front page of the Washington Post, he has written about president s early life. Andrew is joining us from manassas virginia. Good morning on the republican line. Caller it started on the same premise. Everything needs to be fixed by the government. The fact is the meltdown was a result of government meddling in the free market system. Want to know what happened to detroit . It is american greed. People do not need to all own houses. They do not have the responsibility. They signed a contract. The two people that should have been hurt in those contracts should have been inc. s and people who signed it. Banks and the people who signed it. Most people ended up in that meltdown because they took too much house. They used all sorts of techniques. Host this is from our twitter page and this if you are just tuning in or listening on cspan radio, coasttocoast on xm sirius channel 119, paul is joining us from texas. Good morning. Caller the whole point they are missing in this whole thing is the reason for the banking meltdown. The reason for the banking meltdown was the repeal of the glass eagle act the glass steagall act. The glassoint of steagall was that thinking was all private. If you want to make risky investments, use your own money. They allowed these banks to use lender money to make investments, which is what the glasssteagall act protected citizens from. Regulations regulationsave a like this it favors the big businesses. Host from the pittsburgh posts because that its burg post gazette. You can read Details Online at the pittsburgh postis that the website. You may remember the house of representatives are voting to repeal part of the president S Health Care law. Not only the dude not only the employer mandate but also the individual mandate, that was the topic of the weekly address by the gop. [video clip] calexico story i recently heard from a 20yearold hispanic american who runs a Small Business in my district is becoming all too familiar. He employs 45 workers and according to him he is ready to hire 10 or 20 more. But he cant because obamacare makes him choose between new, higher insurance unions or a hefty fine. He says the government should be my partner so i can help employees prosper. I can help them more than the government but i am literally not able to. The whole thing is a train wreck, clean and simple. Bottom line, the sooner we can delay we can get people back to work and focus on expanding opportunity for everyone. From the weekly address. Rom the gop the comments from the Deputy Director of the Defense Intelligence agency, speaking at an event sponsored by the New York Times. Chicago politics is part of the front page story this in new orleans us on thening democrats line, three years later for dodd frank, your thoughts. You are on the air. I would like to talk about our governor. Can you hear me . Host we sure can. Caller he used to work for from the tulsa world, you can read more by logging onto the tulsa world closed club for that story. And this tom is joining us from las vegas. Caller can you hear me . A keeper cspan. Thank you for cspan. I am a republican but i am an american. In regards to dodd frank, for that phoneze call, we do not like to have this on that network not like to have that on this network. Caller i work in the mortgage industry for over five years now. One of the things i have noticed is that the bulk of the people affected were minorities. A sunday information we see, a lot of the money that was pretty much taken due to the fact of minorities being mistreated in the housing market, it has been sent back over disproportionately to the majority in this country. One of the things i want to say is a money did not leave the earth. It still here. Where did the money go . Host thank you for the call. I want to share with you this headline, the front page of the New York Times the obituary on helen thomas who passed away this weekend at the age of 92. Also this morning, appreciation inside the Washington Post come along Team Colleague tom defrank who joined us last week to talk about armor former president gerald ford has written yes, she had a blind spot for the palestinians. It proved her careers and doing three years ago. Make no mistake, more than any other white house journalist of her era, helen thomas is responsible for turning the Daily White House briefings into an appropriately adversarial institution. A few years ago, we sat down to talk with helen thomas about her role here in washington as the dean of the White House Press corps. Here is what she had to say. [video clip] i never aspired up the ladder. I always wanted to be a reporter. I was astounded when i came to this town nobody ever told me it was a mans world. Law, medicine, and so forth. I hope i have been in the front of always trying to fight against discrimination against women. Was appalled to see so much we did not get into the National Press club until 1971, but we were manning the barricades for years. With afirst luncheon foreign dignitary at the National Press club that i attended, i think it was the Prime Minister of india. I was amazed. We were having lunch on the floor. We were all men. Up in the balcony are the women reporters. They were not even allowed to be not only members, but on the floor of the press club. Host two veterans of the White House Press corps. Looking back at helen thomas career at the white house. She passed away over the weekend, 92 years old. We will continue with washington journal. Robert raven and brian walsh will join us to talk about the week in congress, and later, Race Relations in america. Will be at about 8 30 eastern time. Some of the topics making news in the heard on cspan radio sunday afternoons. Ansi callow is keeping track of the other sunday morning programs. Nancy callow as keeping track of the other sunday morning programs. Topics will include Race Relations in u. S. , Immigration Reform, and detroits decision to declare declare bankruptcy, among other issues. Cspan radio reairs the programs beginning at noon noon eastern with nbcs meet the press. Todays guests include Michigan Republican Governor Rick Snyder, aggression or black caucus chairman democratic representative marcia fudge, and National Urban resident mark morreale. Withp. M. Abcs this week texas senator republican ted cruz and days thing. At 2 00, Fox News Sunday with detroits emergency manager, maryland representative marilyn edwards, and dr. Ben carson. Cnns state of the union follows at 3 00 p. M. With Candy Crowley talking to Arizona Republican senator john mccain and democratic congressman Cedric Richmond of louisiana and Javier Becerra of california. Also sherilyn eiffel of the naacp. At 4 00 p. M. It is face the nation. Schieffer welcomes House Speaker john boehner and michigan Governor Rick Snyder im detroits decision on detroits decision to declare a group c. To declare bankruptcy. Cspan rebroadcast the shows beginning at noon eastern with nbcs meet the press, 1 00 on abcs this week, at 2 00, Fox News Sunday, 3 00, cnns state of the union, and 4 00, face the nation from cbs. Listen to them all on cspan radio. Across the nation on Xm Satellite Radio channel 119. Can download our free app for your smart phone or listen online at cspan radio cs panradio. Org. A i decided that he was delicious subject for a biography when it dawned on me att she had been not only abraham lincolns bedside immediately after his thessination, but also at bedside of William Mckinley in 1901. I thought, who could this fellow be . Archives, id the realized what a rich subject it was. Really hasis life two bookends at either end of his biographical shell. He was abraham lincolns personal secretary, private , soor private secretary much of what we know about lincoln comes from his intimate contact with him. On the other end of hays life, he served not under not only under mckinley, but after his assassination, he was the secretary of state for teddy roosevelt. You have these wonderful iconic bookends. When he look deeper, you realize that all of the chapters in between in American History from the civil war through to the beginning of the 20th century, hay is a presence in every one of those chapters. His fingerprints are on all the pages. In some cases, he has written those chapters of American History. Liaferro on the life of jonathan hay, tonight on c spans q a. Host our sunday roundtable with robert raben and brian walsh, good morning gentlemen. Issue ofgin with the immigration. Some news this past week with regard to the speaker of the house and republican leader cantor indicating that they are coming together on one component, which is the children of illegal immigrants. What is happening . Guest i view it as a positive step. I think pompey some people think that the momentum had slowed after the senate to address this. I think it is an indication that the house is focused on this. They are going to break this up a little bit. They are going to come back in august. Beginning of summit is meeting right now. They are talking about introducing some proposals the gain of seven is meeting right now. They are talking about some proposals. Host let me share with you what the speaker and the house leaders said. [video clip] i will make one comment. This is about basic fairness. These children were brought here on no accord of their own, and frankly, they are in a very difficult position. I think many of our members believe that this issue needs to be addressed. I concur with what the speaker said. I also would indicate that the history of our country is one that moved away from holding kids liable for the deeds, misdeeds, commitments of crimes by parents. These in many instances our kids without a country, if we do not allow them to become full citizens of our country. It is not only an issue of fairness, as the speaker said. It is an issue of decency and compassion. Where else would these kids go . If they have been brought here as a minor, in many instances, having no idea what was going on, knowing no other place than america as some it is something that i think both sides of the aisle could say, that is something that we support. Robert, ultimately what will any immigration bill look like . What will House Republicans, Senate Republicans agreed to . What will the president signed and what will he veto . Guest hopefully it will have a comprehensive package, which provides fairness and a path to citizenship legalization for millions of people. American businesses clamoring for it. The business, Small Business, farmers, people who need normalization. It is not clear what we will have. I certainly would not want to be part of Republican Leadership in the house. They face some very difficult choices. The vast majority of their members do not want to do anything. Feels that itrty is the right thing to do, it is the moral thing to do. The great leader Ronald Reagan led the charge on this 1986. , aare going to see something series of small provisions in the house, over a very long period of time. Then we will go to a Conference Committee between the house and senate. That is when mostly men and some women will get together and hammer out a package, and we will know them whether it is something the president will support. Host let me share with you the story, john boehner saying he will run for another term. The story is Available Online at politico. Com. This came after a small dinner was held at an Italian Restaurant on capitol hill with the speaker and a number of his supporters, saying he will serve another term. The question is whether or not House Republicans will reelect him as speaker. Guest i think the speaker enjoys strong support within the conference. I think he has done as good of a job as he has done as he could under difficult circumstances. I think immigration will be a very big test in the months ahead. He enjoys wide support among members throughout the conference. Host this is from this mornings Weekly Standard. Bill kristol wrote this editorial this was the 30th and 39 vote on the president S Health Care law. Guest that speaks to itself, to go to the house floor and do the exact same thing 38 times. I think they sent the message that they do not like obamacare. I have done everything they could to make it look what a train wreck. It looks like me we are on track to have a number of states to have their exchanges open on time. On october 1. Millions of americans will find more Affordable Health insurance out,age, as people find not preexisting conditions, they are able to get insurance. He saw an announcement from the state of new york that prices are going down. I invite the Republican Caucus to do the exact same thing on the floor of the house over and over again. I think they are on the wrong side of history. I believe the vote was quite significant. Almost two dozen democrats for the first time voted against them over a white house veto threat, voted against enforcing the bill. Of those 22, 14 of them were freshmen democrats. To who arelso running for senate. Bruce braley in iowa, gary peters in michigan, who had been previously strong supporters of the bill. I do i think it is with cant it is significant. Guest i think what is significant is republicans have spent the vast majority of their time demonizing this major advancement. I think freshman incumbents who feel vulnerable face an onslaught of private spending to make Health Care Reform look like a bad thing. I will repeat what i said i think they are on the wrong side of history. I invite them to carry on. Host both of our guests are veterans of capitol hill. Raben serve as a complement to barney frank. Served as a consultant to barney frank. A professor at georgetown university. He is also the president and founder of the raben group. Brian walsh who has worked on capitol hill for a number of members, including bob barr and tom ridge. Hes now with a d. C. Firm. We will get to your calls comments in a bit. Heres what the president had to say this past week about what he calls the obstructionism by republicans in congress. [video clip] despite all the evidence that the law is working the way it was supposed to for middleclass americans, republicans in the house of representatives voted for nearly the 40th time to dismantle it. Weve got a lot of problems in this country. There is a lot of work that Congress Needs to do good we need to get a farm bill passed. Immigration reform done. Make sure weve got a budget in investsat invest in in our children and future. Instead we are refighting diesel battles. Thesse old battles. Sometimes i try to figure out why. Maybe they think it is good politics. Part of our job is not always think about politics. Part of our job is to sometimes think about getting work done on behalf of the American People. On behalf of the middleclass and those who are are striving to get into the middle class. [applause] host your reaction to the president s comments . Guest i find it interesting that he repeated his claim that the law is being implemented in exactly the same way it is supposed to. It reminds me of what harry reid said on meet the press where he thinks obamacare has been wonderful. I do not think most people believe that it we see story after story in state after state , school districts, restaurant workers being laid off. Their hours are being cut to get under that 30 our guideline. People, that is a car payment, a phone bill. I think it is a big problem. Bloomberg businessweek has this guest given the low standing in this congress, i do not know what is worse, the alleged lack of work or if they worked more. We have seen in the senate in the last month some tremendous coming together, certainly relatively speaking, given the recent past. The Immigration Reform package was passed out of the senate with 68 votes. Which counts as a strong bipartisan statement. I think the senate has shown a recent willingness to come together and figure out how to meet some of the challenges that the American People face. The house remains a very sad and his fictional place. What the New York Daily News says about the senate guest i think the vast majority of the American People were not paying attention to the street i think it is good. Regardless of which side you want, i do not think it was the theyes finest moment avoided some major changes to the summit. Ironically senator harry reid was pushing for this change, but in 2005 when republicans were controlling the senate, he decried it. He called it unamerican. Here he is eight years later on the other side. Im glad cooler heads prevailed and we prevented what could have been what could have made gridlock even worse. Host a depressing week in washington. Guest we hear that every week in washington. There is a lot of dysfunction. A lot of blame to go around. Thatappreciate the fact there was a lot of constitutional talk about this Nuclear Option and people acting as if it was the most significant thing in the world at stake. The result that came out, the deal was fairly transactional, compared to the lofty rhetoric. 98 senators sat down monday evening for what is a relatively historic 3. 5 hour his Strange Exchange where they talk to each other about what was going on. The other interesting piece that came out of this it looks like senator mcconnell of kentucky, who is the republican leader, actually was not in charge of this conversation, that we have seen the reemergence of the old senator many times inho his career was interested in bipartisan leadership, bipartisan policy work, i think he and Chuck Schumer of new york came together to figure out a way through this. Took at that meeting that place after the agreement was announced, senator bob corker , trying toanity distance himself from the bs. Ent that was to paraphrase senator corker. Guest im glad to hear that senator corker is normal and has the frustration that Many Americans feel about the shenanigans going on. Thatnderscore my point, the serious fissures within the leadership of the Republican Caucus and both the house and senate, i think theyve got some very difficult policy and political decisions to make in the next few months about whether their audience and their policy goal is to strictly adhere to their own constituency, whiter and whiter and older and older, or if they are looking for more expensive political electorates to speak to. It is a conundrum to them. I feel their pain, i would say, but it does their own making. This as much about senator Mitch Mcconnells reelection in kentucky as it is about his standing in the Republican Caucus . Guest i do not think so. This is fairly inside baseball. Host we like inside baseball. Guest what this debate came i think Gina Mccarthy for the epa would have received a vote. It came down to two spots for the National Labor Relations Board that were in contention, with the president installing two of them, over what he claimed was a recess. That was the crux of the argument. Ultimately they came to a compromise. Those two people were replaced. Anyone senator in either party in the u. S. Senate yields a lot of power. I think harry reid discover that in a student loan debate where the democrats were divided. I do not look too much into this. Host with regard to this piece about 18 bills, calling it the lamest congress, one of our viewers said joining us on our independent line from louisiana. Good morning. Caller good morning, sir. Ive got a question im not politically correct, so i do not call these people that are coming into our country illegal aliens i call them foreign criminal invaders. I would like to ask you a question here when these , aboutinvade our country 6 million of them in california, did you know that they are counted in the population base for congressional seats . California hast nine congressional seats that they should not have because these people are there . Louisiana lost a congressional seat last year. The reason we got it was because betsy migrated to a state that seat migrated to a state that is saturated with these criminal invaders. Host comments . Guest i judge that you are on your way to church. Folks come here whether they are coming from canada, poland, or mexico to work and provide for their families. They are largely coming here because there is demand. Maybe you yourself, certainly people on your street, employ these people to mow your lawn and clean your homes and take as she your mother, writes the final chapter of her life, as a home care attended. You lost me with your characterization of an incredibly hardworking, striving, hopeful group of people who have made this country great from the 1600s. Host this is from james who says this has been a story that continues. Congress looking at that and whether or not progressive groups were involved in this as well. Guest we are hearing a lot of drip, drip on this issue. For the first time, we learned that one of the president there are two political appointees in the irs one of them, the chief counsels office, was involved. I believe the Government Reform Committee in the house is looking into this. I think there is a lot we do not know. Host did you want to respond . Guest like a lot of these investigations, particularly those coming out of Darrell Issas committee in the house, there is a lot of sizzle and no steak. Accusations. Le then as you get to the drudgery of actual oversight and depositions and conversations with people involved, it seems to fritter away. Think what you get with the irs is the inspector general, the republican holdover at the irs, who looked into this stuff, he looked into a small piece of it. I think at most what youve got some harried and overworked irs employees in cincinnati who either misunderstood or misdirected it was not partisan at all. There were progressive groups whose applications were delayed and looked at thoroughly as low. None of this is right. It is not a partisan wrong. Host robert raben and brian walsh of the table. At the table. Cat is an washington, d. C. On our republican line. Caller i want to thank you very much for all you do on washington journal. My question is to the republican. I was recently reading a report by the editorinchief, reid wilson. A tremendous reporter. Republicansut the making gains in states like oregon on and Washington State oregon and Washington State. Very small handprint for republicans, yet you are able to see recent gains being made by them. What other states do you think that republicans could get their hands into . Host brian walsh . Guest i agree with the color in the sense that reid wilson is one of the most well respected reporters in washington. I think hes very smart in in the way he analyzes politics today. Look, i think Washington State and oregon, when i look at the senate map, are probably on the periphery. Republicans need to win six senate seats next year to win back the senate. For the democrats is a lot of those are taking place in red leaning states. Alaska, arkansas, louisiana. I think we are continuing to make gains in other states. Michigan and iowa are two states that president obama won pretty handily, but could be the site of two Competitive Senate races. Host this is also from the Weekly Standard we have started to cover some of the possible president ial candidates on the campaign trail and those early primary states. On friday afternoon, we were in iowa were senator ted cruz was speaking. He took questions from reporters. The story from the Houston Chronicle cruise saying that he regrets that some people have tried to take advantage of the situation for political reasons. He said i think there are some in the political sphere who try to take tragic encounter between George Zimmerman, a hispanic man defending his neighborhood, and Trayvon Martin and turn it into a racially polarized battle. Battle. Guest i think it is a tragedy all around great content to it is athat whatever very polarizing issue. I have mixed feelings personally about the president s remarks. Weighing in in the first place as he did with the cambridge police. I went back and watched his remarks a few more times. I can appreciate his desire to put into context the feelings that a lot of africanamericans in this country are going through right now. I wish he had spoken to both sides of this issue more. Hopefully we can all learn from this and move on. Host response . Anst it is obviously amazing episode for the american public. People are really wrestling with what is the right thing to do and writing to say. The right thing to say. The major thing that is going on , as it frequently is with race, is that minorities and progressive whites that agree are willing to have much more vibrant conversations among ourselves and in public about race and americas experience with race and ethnicity. Many conservatives feel like it is a mistake to talk about it. When we talk about it, we are polarizing. When we raise it, we are playing a race card. Until we break through that conundrum, we are not going to have honest relationships with each other. The president did an historic thing. He is the only president the nation has ever seen that could stand up and talk honestly about a personal experience about being followed in stores and having women clutch their purses when he walks by. For people who dont live that to really think about what goes on in the lives of many people of color. I commend the president and i commend white and black and his pair can hispanic americans who can have a calm conversation about how we look at the exact some expenses and live with very different lens and very different views. I am all for more conversation about it. Host a quick followup, the front page of New York Daily News. You have someone who is on one of the Major Cable Networks each night, also organizing this type of event. Michael goodwin writes about it this morning in the New York Post guest i think al sharpton is getting a lot of attention, for not necessarily the right reasons. Someone who throughout his career has made stoking racial tension throughout the country. I dont think it is for the positive. I am fairly outraged he is given a platform whether it is on msnbc or meet the press, to continue his campaign. Host lafayette, indiana. Good morning. Caller i am one of these people in the people in congress are honorable people and to call them a gang of 9 and 7 is disgraceful. The word gang does not sit good anymore. Time is running out in our country, folks, you better get it together. Thank you. Ohio, mark. Us good morning. Caller good morning. I want to speak on immigration. This is a very difficult thing. People have of different opinions, but this is my opinion. I certainly hope these people arent granted amnesty. Americans whot of in this country dont have the right to vote, because theyve committed small felonies, ok . If you grant these people amnesty, they are going to have more rights than people who were born here, ok . There is no doubt in my mind these children perhaps are innocent. Although, i think that was premeditated, that they knew coming in that they would have no responsibilities, you know, or have to pay any consequence because they are kids their kids are basically americans. I dont know what to say. I think they should be sent back , ok, with their children. Host thank you for the call. The gentleman speaks from his heart about something we hear all the time, it is a hard issue. I think one of the saddest pieces is how we get divided. There is this notion that democracy and democratic purchase a patient and voting is some precious, limited supply to moderately and it has to be parceled out among us in just the right amount. It is a beautiful, beautiful country with 240 years of experience with participation. , you know,dest terms there is one party that tries very hard to expand democracy, to expand voting to expand access to voting to normalized people and bring them out of the shadows who have come here with their families to work. And theres another party that puts a lot of energy on the federal and state level of narrowing democracy. Thats how i view it and how many people view it. I think if you look at it in those terms, it is pretty clear where we are going. It is a wonderful country that has done almost always almost always do the right thing. I appreciate peoples legitimate concerns about the specifics of the law, but it would be great if we could spend a lot of energy talking to each other about how to get democratic participation right, how to do it in a fair and transportation way and get out of this divide of, if you win, i lose. Host we are focusing on immigration, the healthcare law, commerce and politics on sunday roundtable with republican strategist brian walsh to a democratic strategist robert raven. The meat put a couple of other issues. Worst week in washington this week, democrat from tennessee, one of the stories if you did not follow all of the nuances inside the beltway, it was the announcement that he in fact did not father a child that he initially thought he had followed followed. From sympathetic to slimy, youre the worst week in washington, congrats. This piece is also Available Online. Guest it is somewhat a bizarre story. I dont know quite what to make of it. I guess initially he thought he had a daughter ann turned out not to be his daughter, then there was a dna test. And keep in mind, this came out in the public view i think a year ago because he accidentally tweeted to her that posted on his public page instead of a direct message. It is all fairly bizarre. Sounds like he needs to shut off his twitter account. Atlanta, independent line, good morning. Caller i wanted to followup on a point on the congressional seat. A gentleman called in a few calls back from a believe it was louisiana. He characterized immigrant populations in a way that probably wasnt very flattering, but his point was never addressed. Of course you have to make sure you are providing resources to deal with these populations. We are under the constitution granted the right to vote based on citizenship, and the notion of a portion apportioning congressional seats based on populations of people that are not here legally in the country becomes problematic. His point was never responded to. Mr. Raben responded sort of emotionally to the mans characterization of populations, but then dont probably with him in a very painting administer a typical way. We would really like to know, is this how seats are being apportioned . Host thank you for the call. Guest im not an expert on the sense of this, but i dont believe they are. Guest 1. 0 would make to all of the colors, we have talked about immigration, there are supporters of Immigration Reform and i happen to be one of them. One thing you have to consider, we had amnesty in this, we had to have de facto amnesty for those living in the shadows. What the senate bill does is forces them to come forward, pay a fine, start paying taxes, learn english, played by the rules of this country. Pass background checks. Even then they only get a temporary work permit for six years. Beforeto be 10 years things move forward beyond that with all of the Border Security issues that have to be implemented. Mind, we to keep in have de facto amnesty in this country, People Living in the shadows. I think everyone, including republicans, agree something needs to be done about it. Guest i dont know the answer to the question. I appreciate the caller. She is right. I dont know the answer to the question about the role of the a portion of undocumenteds. Corollary she may be interested in this as well as the enormous contribution that undocumented workers, which there are many, are making because so many are working with false identification and false Social Security numbers, frequently complicit in which the employer is complicit, their contracting payroll, sosa security, medicare taxes for which they have no possibility of ever recouping because they are not working with the Social Security number to which they are actually entitled. Host let me turn to politics this past week liz cheney formally announcing her candidacy to the wyoming senate seat. Im running for the United States senate because i believe deeply in the values that made our state and our nation great. I am running because i believe it is necessary for new generation of leaders to step up to the plate. I am running because i know as a mother and patriot we can no longer afford simply to go along to get along. We cant continue business as usual in washington. I am running because i know we are taxed more than enough already. I am running because i know wyoming needs a strong voice in washington, someone who knows how to get things done and isnt afraid to fight for what is right for you and i will compromise when our freedom is at stake. Every victorious movement in history has required the full participation of men and women of courage, conviction, and principle. In the face of these challenges and with a clear view of the better Brighter Future that is better possible for us all, i hope you will join me in this fight. Terms of Republican Party politics, there has been a lot of talk about primary challenges. Mitch mcconnell was potentially facing one. So far he the only Republican Senate primary challenge in wyoming. And a survey, republican firm, showing mike in c is 55 , liz cheney at 11 . Ini dont think any senator either party has an entitlement to their seat. That being said, i think a lot of the reaction from republicans that dana mentions in a story note the fact that senator enzi acrosstheboard has been conservative. I think there are questions about what areas she would be able to go after him on. I think it is also a very small state, there will be a lot of retail politicking. Senator enzi is still very popular in wyoming. I think you will she will have to provide a rationale for why she thinks he needs to be replaced. Host why do you think she is running . Guest this really screams here, doesnt it . Im going to better my popcorn for this one, sit back and watch. It looks like it will be an incredible race. Reasons as to why youre going to lose something. Then you have to have execution, team of people around you who your values, speak to you, and are credible with the audience youre trying to get. People have overcome much larger deficits than 55 to 21. I think president obama when he was senator was trying to run, probably had very little approval ratings. He had a team that executed well. Ms. Cheney may very well have that. Theres no question they did polling. Theres no question that gone around and done informal focus groups about whether or not they thought it was a good idea. They have decided they have the path to victory. God bless her. Host hanover, massachusetts, republican line. Caller i think they have a hidden agenda. They had to do four years of Community Service and cannot vote for democrats, period, ever, would you still be for this bill . Do you think it is time to make Trayvon Martins history public was a racist little dug in school that beat up white kids and got in trouble and beat got thrown out and that is why he was at his fathers house. We are going to spend about 90 minutes on the Trayvon Martin k starting about 8 30 eastern time, if you want to stay with us. Guest i think the point underlying your first question is in exchange for a path to citizenship or normalization should there be burdens put on this class of citizen. It allows people who wont be eligible, there are restrictions on their participation in government programs, etc. , etc. , etc. , so i think he kind of get your china talk about is in place. I would be open to National Service for everybody. It would be great for me, great for my daughter. Im all for that. Would not put restrictions on how they vote. Im not for a patent normalization or citizenship because it is a potential trove of democratic voters. I have zero interest in that. I have zero interest on that. On the Trayvon Martin or would you like host we heard the caller sentiment and we will hear more in the next hour and a half, but just a general question, why this case has resonated, why it struck a chord with the American People. Brian walsh, let me begin with you. Guest it is a very, very polarizing issue on both sides. I dont pretend to understand. At the same time, i think the caller was appropriately expressing some frustration over the way this was covered. There were some issues that did not necessarily get the attention the media they deserved in the media they deserved, which led to him think acquitted. Most legal analyst said it was not a surprise and they reached the right decision. Terrible facte, that we are going to rely on one adjudicateragedy to centuries of conversation and interaction based on race. That is a recipe for disaster and what is going on. To the extent the platform for an honest conversation about how we see each other, i dont think you can have enough of that kind of conversation and i commend the president for setting a frame for people to have a conversation about what is going on. Mr. Zimmerman had no idea what Trayvon Martins life was or who he was. He saw a young black man in a hoodie and he got out of his car to bully him. And he bullied him to death. And because florida, like many other states, has a standard or ground law or the equivalent thereof a strong and easy selfdefense, he was not properly acquitted. That does not mean he behaved all that all he knew he knew, all he knew is that a dark young man in include he was walking in the neighborhood where he thought he should be walking. That was the offense. That is the tragedy. Host good morning, democrat line. Caller good morning. Both of these men here are political strategist. Right now i see the Republican Party is on the verge of dying a slow death. You have a party that for four years has shown a total inability to legislate. All they have done since they been in house control is, we are going to write bills to repeal. We want to repeal everything. Bills caning how solve problems or move legislation forward to get things that the country needs. I know you had a few callers who i am ford because it is good when congress cant do anything. If theyre not doing anything, in congress, we cannot move forward in the country. I want the republicans basically in their states trying to write new laws that limit womens , trying tohoice write laws where were going going to try to get rid of obama care. What are you going to do for health care for the millions of people who dont have health care . That let me jump in on point. Speaker boehner appearing on face the nation was asked about that this morning. He said, we should be judged not on how many laws we pass, but how many laws we have repealed and said, spacek lee needs to look at the mess in washington and said we should be judged not by the new laws we create, more of the laws the administration could ever enforce. That was going back to the Bloomberg News that indicated Congress Passing only 18 bills so far this year. According to the speaker, to paraphrase, he said that is good news. Caller the house recently bill. The ag and that, they totally left out food assistance. That is not legislating. Republican strategists call that progress . Host thank you for the call. Who would like to take that question . Bear i think both parties responsibility for the gridlock. Harry reid address this on meet the press last week and talked about the incredible unpopularity of the senate and overlooking he is the majority leader. I think both parties bear responsibility. I am a republican who had hoped personally that after he won reelection, that the president would recalibrate and make an effort to reengage more republicans in congress. Obviously, people would disagree over Something Like that or his record on doing that, but i have continued to be disappointed with what i see down the road at pennsylvania avenue. Guest first from the Facebook Page, directed to you, brian, the democratic tent has gotten bigger, the gop tent is smaller and shrinking since it is getting older and wider. Look, im certainly concerned with trajectory of our party and im that is one of the reasons i think the republicans need to return to the roots of a big tent party. I think Immigration Reform is not just good policy but good politics. I think the Republican Party, if you look at the numbers, are getting a shrinking share or larger share of the shrinking section of the vote and the democrats are getting a larger share of increasing section of the electorate. Andink of the republicans the Republican National committee appropriately look into this, they issued a report i think every republican activist should read earlier this year, but i think for me personally, it concerns me. Saint obama needs to focus on jobs, jobs, jobs and quit getting involved in race baiting issues. Your response . Guest we all need to focus on jobs, jobs, jobs. Socialins an important concern. Too many people are out of work or under worked. Mr. Obama is a black president. First, historic hopefully not the last africanamerican president of the United States. Every time he moves, every time he talks, race is in play. It is a fact. I commend him for stepping out and talking about something so deeply important. I go back to what i said earlier, this is a vicious trove and a tool the right has done for decades. Those of us who talk about race are the problem. And were not going to get anywhere in this country as long as people wield that as a cudgel. I want to go back to an earlier point, i agree with my friend brian, no party has a monopoly on obstruction. I think both having gauged in tools and tactics which contribute to a sense of dysfunction. I do wish as an american citizen first and a democrat tent, there were more people like ryan and the Republican Party. I think they say such terrible quandary that is an increasing number of republicans are actually elected on an antigovernment fission. They come here ostensibly to show what a terrible place it is. And it shows in the voting. I think people like mr. Boehner and mr. Mcconnell have an increasingly difficult time figuring out how to legislate good for the American People when so many in their caucus are in the business of undermining that. Host this is a photograph from the Washington Post many places have become green spaces because people have left. At the population down to about 700,000. This is the front page of the detroit news. Basically saying to the president , you need to save detroit. Brian walsh . Guest in the president ial campaign, a regular line of attack from president obamas campaign was that if it was up to mitt romney, detroit would have gone bankrupt. Well, detroit has gone bankrupt. There are many, many factors that go back many years attribute it to it, but if you think it is a warning sign to all of us when we look at the federal government, which has taken on over 6 trillion in new debt and his administration. The longterm consequences of our debt. We need to pay our bills. The form is yours, good morning. Caller good morning, brother. Since you mention detroits dilemma, i will go there. It is very hard living in this place right now. There is nothing but constant negativity in the news regarding crime, the city not being able to function and provide services and stuff like that area do like that. But this republican governor, state, house and senate, attorney general, School Superintendent all of them have been complicit in just pouring gasoline on the fire as it pertains to detroits restoration. Host the story this morning from Detroit Free Press says tengion is one of the biggest problems facing detroit and pointing out baltimore, los angeles, harrisburg, pennsylvania and many other cities are in the same situation. A mega icons city. I dont know if you know or read that a state judge has ruled following the bankruptcy unconstitutional under michigan law because it said michigans constitution prevents messing with pensions. Let me tell you something. If detroit is allowed to go down this road, it will be a template for chicago and l. A. And all of the other great cities. What we have here is a takeover by democracy of democracy by corporate entities. Host thank you for the call. We will get a response. Thet im not an expert in details of the financing, but certainly in american tragedy. I think it underscores the policy on the federal level in this nation since the carter administration. Old enough to im remember, it was devastated in the 1980s. When the Steel Companies close down, devastation. There was a National Consensus that through no fault of their own, rural people and counties across the area needed our attention and needed our help whether it was the superficial concerts for far made or a federal policy through the Agricultural Department which is designed to help farmers and rural people. We dont have that for a run america. Cities are on their own. Some are thriving and some are not. I think it underscores the need for reconcerted effort in the congress and the federal government. What is the role question mark what is the responsibility for providing jobs and safety for cities that just are making it on their own . Host from Facebook Brian walsh, i think this is for you. Guest we have covered a lot of different issues and i think we are determined both parties are to blame for a number of things that are going on in washington. Host you could sense the president s frustration last thursday republican opposition. Guest we have actually heard this from senators in both hearties over the last four years, that the in both parties over the last four years, that the president might giving speeches but does not seem to legislate a whole lot. What i mean, we have heard this complaint from senators in both rds that he doesnt engage a lot. He has taken a few of them out to dinner and made this big show of it, but i think we need to see and i would have liked to have seen a four years ago, the president rolling up his sleeves and on a daytoday basis engaging members of congress in both parties. Host greensboro, north carolina, democrat line. Good morning. Caller good morning, thank you for being here today. My question is primarily for mr. Walsh. I dont have a complaint or even really a question. I really or an opinion, rather, i really have a question. I know or republican members reject about the Affordable Care act. What i wanted to ask you, because you seem very even tempered and educated about the topic host what is it that they oppose . A few things. The taxes being fostered upon businesses and families. Robert brought up the case of new york state at the beginning of the show. Right now new york art he has one of the Health Insurance regulations in the country already has one of the strictest Health Insurance regulations in the country. New york already has some of the highest insurance rates in the country. They are one of only seven states in the country that have that. 43 other states dont. Most of the states are all ready predicting premiums are going to skyrocket under this bill. The society of actuaries this week predicted in ohio, individuals that are healthy will likely see an 88 increase in premiums. In indiana, 72 . We see story after story of Small Businesses faced with this uncertainty, not hiring workers, cutting job hours. There are a lot of problems right now. Tot the senate is expected vote this week on bringing the student loan Interest Rates back to about 3. 5 and tying them to Treasury Bonds and other big agenda items including the debt limit agreement sometime this fall. In terms of how much time the president and congress has before we move into 2014, what are we looking looking at timeframe and legislatively . Guest i think the conventional wisdom is no longer conventional. There is this window where you can do things and there is a window or a closed period where you cant because we are in reelection. With 24 hour cable, with both parties hostility worried about primary challenges because theyre not constantly worried about primary challenges, we are in constant election hearing. I look at it differently. I think things moved to the house and senate when it is a good idea people can Work Together to figure out compromises that deeply divided people can work on. I think it can happen at the last minute. I think it can happen at the first minute. I would like to move people away from this notion that everything is free and easy in the First Six Months then, oh, no, cant do it. For 1 am hopeful that Immigration Reform will be addressed. I dont necessarily think itll happen overnight, in the next month or two. Obviously, they go on recess for the month of august. Hopefully when when they return, therell be a healthy debate. It may going to next year, but i think both parties can recognize this is an issue that needs to be addressed. Host brian walsh and robertraben, thank you for being with us. Verdict a week ago in a case involving Trayvon Martin and the comments of the president friday afternoon in the White House Briefing room, we are going to devote the rest of the program to look at the issue of Race Relations in america read joining us at the smith andycal Armstrong Williams. This, a look at the topics sunday. On todays sunday talk shows, topics will include Race Relations of the United States, which we will talk about in a minute, and Immigration Reform in the city of detroit. As you mentioned, cspan radio reairs beginning at noon eastern with meet the press. The sugar republican Governor Rick Snyder will be a guest, Congressional Black Caucus chairman, democratic congressm ember. At 1 00 p. M. , abc this week with texas republican senator ted cruz and detroit mayor dave being. At 2 00 p. M. , Fox News Sunday with detroits emergency manager kevyn orr, Maryland Democratic congressman donna edwards, and ben carson which is a pediatric neurosurgeon and a columnist for the Washington Times yuriko cnn state of the union follows at 3 00 p. M. Eastern. John mccain and Cedric Richmond of louisiana and california. Also, the naacp. At four clock p. M. Eastern, face the nation with rob she snyder andng rick bob schaffer. Theyre brought to as a Public Service by the networks and c span. You can listen to them all on c span radio on 90. 1 fm in the washington, d. C. Area. Free app orload our listen online. It dawned on me he had been not only at Abraham Liggins bedside immediately after his assassination, but also at the bedside of William Mckinley in 1901. I thought, who could this fellow be . Of course when i opened the archives, i realized just what a rich subject it was. Has two bookends that either and. Lincoln on one income abraham colns personal secretary lincoln on the one hand and come abraham lincolns personal secretary. On the other end of his life, he served not only under mckinley but after the assassination, he was secretary of state for teddy roosevelt. Yet these wonderful iconic bookends of American History. When you look deeper, you realize all of the chapters in between an American History from the civil war through to the beginning of the 20th century, he is a presence in every one of those chapters. His fingerprints on all of the pages and in many cases, he has written those chapters of American History. Spanstonight on c q a. We want to focus on the issue of Race Relations in america and not of the Trayvon Martin case and we want to welcome Mycal Denzel Smith and Armstrong Williams. Thank you for being with us. Smith, i want to begin with your words saying but i ask him and everyone who says, we must respect the verdict, how long are we supposed to remain calm when the laws we are called to respect exist in an open assault on our humanity . The ark of the moral universe bends slowly. Our lives are on the line right now. Guest looking at the verdict, what happened was, to my mind, a lack of respect for black life. Trayvon martin was put on trial in what was supposed to be George Zimmermans trial. His character was assassinated. His parents had to sit there as marco marra and don west put on one of the most racist defenses i have seen in a courtroom. Are fighting now, the stand or ground laws, the great latitude floridas self defense laws give you as far as what constitutes protecting yourself, i think are in assault, particularly on black youth, because who is going to be considered a threat . Who is going to be considered enough of us brett people can justify killing them enough of a threat that people can does defy killing them than being an actual practical danger . Host and in your words you say it was not about race. Guest listen, mycal articulates a feeling that is very prevalent in this country, and we should not trivialize it or minimalize it. Unfortunately, many black youth feel they are targets. They dont feel the law favors them. They feel they are profiled more often than not. Then when you hear Police Officers tell you in training their talk to profile young black men, i mean, it is reality that many parents in this country who are black in america must face the realities. But in the George Zimmerman case, it was not about race. It was about a situation where George Zimmerman who was the Neighborhood Watch person who should not have been turning a gun in a neighborhood. I dont know Neighborhood Watch person that is allowed to carry a gun. Obviously, George Zimmerman was a coward. When we got into a beef with someone, we would fight with our fist. That is what real men did. Man is not shooting someone. Instead of him fighting they were in an altercation, obviously. The jury had five weeks to weigh the evidence. Like the president said, i respect the jury process. All six jurors were unanimous in their verdict. But still, George Zimmerman never shouldve had a gun on him. But there was reasonable doubt, as the president so eloquently stated in his remarks on friday, that he could understand how the jury came to that conclusion. , eitherident also said life could have been lost. Trayvon martin couldve killed George Zimmerman or George Zimmerman him as he did, it could kill Trayvon Martin. I dont think it was a case about race. It was about someone in a situation where the dispatcher asked him to step back and not pursue the victim. He continued to pursue the victim. A fight ensued and the young man died, 17yearold teenager died for no reason at all. His parents are left wondering about the future not only for themselves, but young black men. I dont think it is so much about profiling someone who is black. It is the way someone was dressed. You could be latino, asian, white. If youre dressed that way i think it had more to be with the way he was dressed. He was not certain about trayvons race at the time. Host the president coming to the White House Briefing at the top of the Daily Briefing with press secretary jay carney, unannounced, and spoke with just some notes for about 18 minutes. At the entire event been posted on our website at cspan. Org. We talked about this yesterday on washington journal. Heres part of what the president had to say. Finally, i think it is important for all of us to do some soulsearching. There is been talked about should be convened a conversation from race. Ive not not seen that be particularly productive when politicians try to organize conversations. On the other hand, families and workplaces, there is a possibility that people are a little bit more honest. Am i judging people as much as i can based on not the color of their skin, but the content of their air character . I think that would be inappropriate exercise would be an appropriate exercise in the wake of this tragedy. Host Mycal Denzel Smith, your thoughts . Agree. I we need an agenda to address racial inequality and racism and work toward Racial Justice in this country. Daye was a tweet the other and that was the gist of it. I think that is what we need here. To armstrongs point, this is all about race. It is not that mr. Zimmerman was hispanic, it is that Trayvon Martin was black. That is the reason George Zimmerman found him suspicious. I think we can talk about hoodies and dress all we want, but the association with the hoodie is blackness. The association with the way he is dressed is blackness. That is the reason Trayvon Martin was found suspicious that night. Host we also talked about americas criminal Justice System. Knowledgeable that there of racialry discrimination. From the Death Penalty to enforcement of our drug laws. And that ends up having an impact in terms of how people interpret the case. Thethis isnt to say American Community is naive about the fact africanamerican young men are disproportionately involved in the criminal Justice System. Both victims and perpetrators of violence. Although black folks do interpret the reasons for that in a historical context, they understand some of the violence that takes place in poor black and put across the country is born out of a very violent past in this country. Dysfunctionrty and that we see in those communities can be traced to a very difficult history. Comments of the president last friday. And these headlines this morning from miami and outlay, more than and los angeles. Guest listen, that is the american way. People should protest and march and do it peacefully and respect to each other. That is who we are. I celebrate it. If that is the way they need to express themselves because they find the verdict to be a travesty of justice, then let them express it that way. On to the president , it is thattunate in america after all of these years and all we have gone through as a nation, that on many levels people just dont know each other. It is unfortunate to believe just because someone is a black youth, that they may have a propensity toward crime. But it also is unfortunately just because someone is white or any other race, that they have a propensity to have a grudge against blacks that have no respect for black life. Thatld like to believe many people in this country i would say most 85 or most americans have moved beyond this thing we call race. You have the laws on the books and the law should be enforced, but you cannot legislate on someones heart, legislate summit who hates. Look, it is not we have to deal with racism on both sides. You can listen to some of these right wing conservatives shows and things they say at times about president obama and the things they say about Trayvon Martin. You can listen to a lot of these liberal stations and you hear the same racism from blacks you hear from a small percentage of whites in this country. What we have to do is lower the volume for you and the problem is not everyone is a racist and a bigot in this country. The problem president is right for you and think there is a deeper point he was trying to make create if it had been a killer if it had been a black telling a black he would not of matter. If it had been white killing a white, no one would have cared. I asked myself why . I am upset when theres any loss of life. We have to learn to care about the loss of life and not the race of the person that lost their life. That is what brings us together as americans. Ost Armstrong Williams is a fellow. Smith guest at the nation institute. It is a fellowship for journalism. Commentswelcome your and calls. You can also join us on facebook or twitter or give us a call at the numbers on the bottom of the screen. Arlington, texas, democrat line. I think it is laughable we are seeking justice for Trayvon Martin and we dont even have justice for emmett till. These things are laughable. Until we denounce this whole , and cars are young black , while other communities dont receive that attention. We are incarcerated at a higher rate for it rate. I dont know what world he lives in. It is an illusion. Host ok, we will get a response. That is live in america not hyphenated. I am an american first. For everyonetunity and yes, there are flaws in our law, flaws in the Justice System. You cannot do by committing crimes or do it by being on the racism that inks everything they q2 backer holds you back is because of your race and the white man always has his foot on your neck. You have to shed the shackles and realize you are free. The collars, and about the incarceration rate, these figures courtesy from the naacp and the center for juvenile and criminal justice. Between 1980 and 2008, the incarceration rate quadrupled among africanamericans from 500,000 to 2. 3 million. Today, the u. S. Is five percent of the worlds population and has 25 of the worlds prisoners. The africanamerican race makes up nearly one million of the 2. 3 million incarcerated. Africanamericans incarcerated at nearly six times the rate of whites. It comprised 58 of all prisoners, groups making up 25 of u. S. Population. Since 2001, one in six african men had been incarcerated. If the current trend continues, one in three africanamerican males born today could spend time in prison during their lifetime. Guest that is because black people are over policed. An incarceration rate isnt indication that we are committing more crimes, but theyre looking for more crime in our communities because they believe in the inherent criminality up likeness. Blackness. That feeds into the idea again that the black man for specifically but the race is rising among black women, but the black men you see are indeed criminals. To talk more about what armstrong is saying, i dont think what we are experiencing is a lack of all life breathed the reason we scream and shout when black life is lost or discarded in the way Trayvon Martin was, is because black lines are the ones that are not treated with the same value read hispanic life is not treated with the same value as white lives are in this country. After the tragic shooting in newtown, we were pushing for gun legislation. And as we should. But the shootings in chicago are happening all the time in those communities are hurting and bleeding and they care very deeply about what is going on in mean,communities, and, i we could have organizations like the interrupters were trying to curb violence in their community or the black Youth Project that it so much in trying to get president obama to address the violence in their community. But it only happens after the loss of white life that people are paying attention. And Mycal Denzel Smith Armstrong Williams. Do you want to respond . Guest i appreciate mycals perspective and hearing thoughts from his generation. I am also here to learn. But i also think im a mycal, that if you look at our country and where you have a Strong Family structure and there are many blacks in this country that still continue to have a Strong Family structure, strong twoparent household, the kind of issues that steve just brought up are likely to happen. They still happen, but far less likely. When you look at jewish families, when you keep a Strong Family together, a strong mother and father, and sometimes beyond your control that is not always a possibility, but i think the writedown of the black family and the fact these young men never knew what it was to be a man, they never knew what discipline and work at their effort really is and never really had anyone to love them, and turned to things like drugs and alcohol, because theyre looking for real selfesteem, looking for something to believe in. I think if we could get back to thesemily structure, issues today we are discussing would be less prevalent. Guest i dont totally disagree, but i believe a lot of young men and try to love establish their own selfesteem and find it in ways that are destructive. But i dont know that it is necessarily that it is necessary for a traditional Family Structure as im presuming you mean as far as father, mother and a household. I think we can expand the idea of family and we can expand that to communities that take care of people. Doing that, but also timidity is, i mean, governments. We should think of this more holistic we instead of of every individual family unit unto itself and we should be an entire community that supports the love guest mother does a good job, but im talking about fathers. Whether it is a grandfather or mentor, they need a male structure in their lives. Guest do that, if youre going to have men in their lives, they have to be whole men. If were not not raising healthy, whole man, and were settling them into the prison industrial complex, over policing them, we have Food Insecurity and we have health disparity. If we dont have healthy and holding that are supported by our community structure, then being in the household is not going to make as much of a difference just because they are there. But growing up, i had my mother and father. Host making this point by blacksrs conducted than whites. Guest we have to look at the root cause. Is a statistic. It is not that it is inherent to blackness. We talk about crimes, we also have to talk about disproportionate policing and access to food and disproportionate poverty. We cannot isolate crime and try to associate with black men. Host on the phone, florida. Caller i just want to make a comment and say i really think the Trayvon Martin situation has sparked a more coming together itng africanamericans and starts in something that is inherently wrong with the criminal Justice System in our country. The thoughts that most africanamericans dont have fathers and Different Things like that, and this is the cause of the crimes and things. And that is partly true, but i know many, many men that are incarcerated that came from strong families. But because they may have been in the wrong place at the wrong time or doing something the criminal Justice System has given them 20 and 30 years for for drugs, that, you know, they have not gotten a fair shake. Nobody brings up the fact that it was a week later before zimmerman was arrested. His father is a judge. He has had ample time to prepare that young man for whatever he was going to face in terms of a trial. Host thank you for the call. We are at some of the a around therom country as the demonstrations took place yesterday. Armstrong williams . Guest this is a very tough conversation because to make it seem as though the reason why theres such a high incarceration, whether it is drugs or whatever, is because the government or somebody else. You may admit the government plays a role but at some point you have to realize the problem lies within the community. It doesnt live outside the community. The community allows these things to happen. The young black man sitting here listening to the show today may feel he has the responsibility and the choices he makes him a that the system made him this way, that that is why they commit these crimes. Obviously, someone in your life had to guide you to make your life choices. The law should be fair for crack cocaine and powder cocaine. It should not favor one and not the other. Theome point, responsibility is on them for why they are incarcerated. It is not the system to blame. They have to take the blame. If these kids do not understand that having an education is an opportunity, if they understand the importance of learning, if they understand the shooting somebody if you know the law is unfair to you, then why deal drugs . At some point, accountability have to look them directly in the face and say, you are responsible for your own life. Host two comments on the table from our viewers. It is from our twitter page. Liberty and justice for all dictates that nobody should get away with murder. On our Facebook Page there is this comment. The trouble in the black community is not due to history of slavery or racism. The high rate of black fathers that abandon their children is what causes povertycriminal behaviorlow test scores. The welfare system priest that. Guest you asked the question, why do people use drugs . A Mental Health issue. You do not have systems in place that allowed our young people to get the proper Mental Health care in this country, particularly black youths. There is a stigma attached to it. We are looking at escapism. Some of it is recreational use, no different from Drinking Alcohol or smoking tobacco. We are policing the vices of people to boost our incarceration rate. We have forprofit prisons where people can profit from the incarceration of people. This is the system we have been this is the system we are up against and we do not want to address the root cause of this. Host our topic is Race Relations in america. Our guests are Mycal Denzel Smith and Armstrong Williams. We invite you to weigh in with your calls and comments. Blake is on the phone from alabama. Biger cspan, you can do a service by presenting the facts. It seems like politicians like president obama is stoking racist year. He knows better. Lawyer and the president. I heard a juror being interviewed on cnn. I was shocked. I did not know some of the things that she said. Obviously, it is not being promoted. It has to do with being 911 tape where he was verbally told to stay in his car, do not follow. Certain groups were promoting certain ideas. The 911 voted told him to stay in the car. Do not go near this person. We will send police. Then they said, keep an eye on him. Let us know where he is going. How was he supposed to know where he is going unless he is following him . Said that is why he started looking out because the 911 tapes says that. Host Armstrong Williams . Had anthe jurors insurmountable task given the pressure from the press and different communities in this country. I found it interesting that the , ir witness, miss jeantell saw her on an interview on the huffington post. I was stunned when she said Trayvon Martin hit George Zimmerman first. When i heard that, i thought it was the other way around. There was so much that one on in this case and so much has been distorted by the media. You had a jury examine all the evidence and come to a conclusion. Many of these jurors were in tears. They wanted to find George Zimmerman guilty. There was a debate about this. After looking at the evidence, there was a reasonable doubt. The operators said continue to tell us where he is, they came to the conclusion that he is not guilty. There was reasonable doubt that he was not guilty of the charges. Host this is an email from joe in michigan. As a white man, i move my family out of detroit in the 1970s. As blacks moved in, crime went up and we allow ourselves safe. As crime went up, our Property Values dropped. It was a nobrainer to leave for safety and financial reasons, not race. Anst what happens is increase in poverty. Common what the denominator in any Violent Community is, a high rate of poverty, lack of access to education, though health care. These are issues we have dealt with in other communities in our past. When immigrant communities came to this country, from ireland, from germany, from italy, they did not have the same opportunities we think of today. It was not just their hard work and work ethic. There was a Progressive Social movement that address the social ills of their communities and said what they need is access to good jobs, health care, education and ensured that the government provided these things. Black people got left out because the idea was that people needed to pull up their own bootstraps and they needed to do it for themselves. The fact is they knew the it was not possible. It is a thing that no one does on their own. Every Community Needs help. Those committees thought it while black people did not. Host i want to get your reaction. This is a photograph that made the rounds last week. There is a similar photograph characterizing president obama in the same hoodie. This is Martin Luther king jr. Guest it is hard work. King would not have been wearing obama would not have been wearing one because they were not in existence during their time. I want to come back to what mycal just opined about. I have to tell you, if the person wants to be educated in this country today, it can be educated. There are a lot of people in this country who are poor and to not have much and do not do drugs los altos or do not go out and commit crimes. Anor do drugs or do not on commit crimes. We have got to stop using poverty as a reason for why people commit these crimes or other social pathologies we talked about. That is not an excuse. Just because people say they are suffering and are done under law does not mean they cannot keep their house clean. Are down on their luck does not mean they cannot keep their house clean. We had an interview last week as someone on our show. Several people called in and set a lot of these young people in your generation hope to apply for jobs and 90 to not get the job because they failed the drug test. If you know you have a job on the line, the least you have common sense not to do drunks for the two weeks. There are a lot of reasons why these young people are not progressing. The least is because they do not have opportunity. They are just not in a position to take advantage of the opportunities. Host and victoria is joining us from connecticut. Good morning. Caller good morning to your panel. Mr. Williams, i have been a follower of you for many years. I have listened to you and i am grateful i have an opportunity to espouse some of my views on the disservice you do to our community. You just made a comment that poverty is not an excuse. Needed is a lack of fathers. Is a lot ofeither fathers. Have ant clinton did not father and he became the president of the United States. President obamas did not have been found in he also became the president of the United States. President we face obama did not have a father and he also became president of United States. The issues we face is because of the misconception of crime and Property Values decline. The issue is that people who have made it do not go back to the communities they came from to help others. Host thanks for the call. Armstrong williams and then we will go to Mycal Denzel Smith,. Minimizenever want to the importance of fathers. I had a father that was a testament to the huge difference it can make. They make a difference now. Yesterdaysbar from front page. Your reaction to what the president said yesterday afternoon. Trayvon martin could have been Armstrong Williams. That is the way black men are viewed, as inherent criminals. We are followed and stalked and killed. People can get away with it. That is what the president was speaking to and explaining to the country. The idea that he was stoking racist fears speaking about racism is not stoking racist fears. We are a nation built on racism. Until we admit that and deal with it, we will continue to have these conversations. Host have you faced discrimination, racial profiling, or what Trayvon Martin . Guest never. You seem shocked. Are you saying i should because i am black . Host the president made the comment of going to a mall guest i had a conversation with my brother. He is a state senator in south carolina. He was telling me when he was running for office that there were whites who refused to shake his hand because he is black. My comment is not an acknowledgement that it does not exist. I know it exists. It has not been my experience. Guest you are a lucky one. I have been stopped by police when i was doing nothing wrong. I have had my tags randomly selected to be scanned. I have been followed in department stores. The biggest thing about racism is that it is happening in you do not know that it is happening. You do not have to experience it directly. It is always limiting your experience here in america. Host this piece is in the Washington Post. It was published on friday, the same day the president came out later in the day. He says, we need to examine racial issues like those exposed in the Trayvon Martin case. The president is not the best person to lead the discussion. Through no fault of his own, he might be the worst. Guest because of what happened when he spoke last year. He said, if i had a son, he would look like Trayvon Martin. It became a highly politicized issue at that point and divided along partisan lines. Even conservative republican voices who had expressed support for Trayvon Martin and his family were on the other side because the idea is that if president obamas for it, i have to be against it. Is for itident obama out, i have to be against it. Host did that change friday when the president said, i could have been Trayvon Martin . Guest the president has said that before. I thought the president s speech was excellent. My concern here today is a concern that if you keep telling certain people in this country you are profile, you will never be a full american, you will never have the same opportunities, along with all of the other issues they have to deal with in life life is a battle in itself. We are always fighting some kind of battle. How do you give them any kind of hope that they can overcome anything . Guest the issue is not to say that because of racism cannot achieve. The history of black people in this country is achieving in the face of racism. My problem is we had to achieve in the face of racism. The message is not necessarily for black people. Black people who experienced racism understand they are experiencing racism. The message is for the racist structure in this country to say we need to face fix this because this is not allowing black people or people of color to fulfil their potential in this country. Host the cover story on Time Magazine after trayvon. The story says the trial has ended, but the repercussions of a florida teenagers death have only just begun. In the body of the story, the author writes, there will be a new discussion about how america handles its diversity. Whites will no longer be the majority of the population. Children under the age of five will be from minority groups. Dias joins us live on the phone. As you put this cover story together and we just saw some of the figures what else did you learn . Guest it is a great question. The day after the verdict was announced was sunday. 80 of blacks of america say religion is very important in their lives. We took a look at what was happening in the pulpits across america. No surprise. The reactionsd were foremost on pastors minds and hearts as they preached. A week later, i am sure that is what is happening again. It has been quite a week. When the story came out, the president had only issued an e mail statement about the verdict and surprised the nation on friday with his comments. The trayvony seeing martin moment is not going away in the country. The heels of the a monthights act and before the 50th anniversary of the march on washington, we are seeing some momentum building around Race Relations in america. Host lets talk about the economic disparity in america. Here are some figures from Time Magazine between whites and blacks. The medium Median Income 33,000 versus 55,000 among whites. On the issue of discrimination, 16 of whites say there is discrimination. 56 of blacks say there is discrimination. Guest the figures are pretty stark. You listen to the stories they tell and it only feeds the sentiment building across the country. In the past 30 days, one in 4 young black men feel but they have been inappropriately stopped by police or had some kind of action that was a reaction to a racist system. Thesembination of economic factors, especially with the recession, which it right when barack obama came into office, youll see the story line about race in america. The story line about race in america. We have the first African American president and we have really difficult economic times. Eling stories du and they are trying to figure out which one takes hold in the future. Host why did he president come out on friday . Guest that is the question. They were very careful in not revealing details. The white house realize this is not a story that is going away. This is just my imagining, but i would imagine the president and the first lady talked about the case and i think it was an issue that the president decided it was time to talk about. And so he did. He surprised the whole White House Press corps. It was also a sign that maybe the Justice Department has decided that is only a limited set of actions they can or are going to take, which gave the president a bit more freedom to just come out and say this is what i think. Host elizabeth dias, if you could stay on the phone for a minute Mycal Denzel Smith, you think the president was under pressure to make a statement . He gave a statement on sunday. Guest not from africanamerican leaders, but from people on the street. He could not ignore those kinds of numbers. I was in new york city on sunday and there were thousands of people who took the streets from new york to times square. Rallies and marches all over the country. The rev. Al sharpton has marches planned for 100 cities. It was necessarily directed by africanamerican leaders, but by people in the streets. Host elizabeth dias, let me take your cover story and put it in the form of a question. What is next after Trayvon Martin . Guest we are coin to see a lot of people in washington in a month for the march on washingtons 50th anniversary. When it comes to legislation and the governmental action that needs to happen, locally, people are calling for the need to rotect Voting Rights, especially after the Supreme Court decision striking down key portions of the Voting Rights act of 1965. There is also movement on the state level to repeal stand your ground across the country and the need to pass antiracial profiling laws. Ato, there is a movement around standing against gun proliferation. Movement around standing against gun proliferation. Is anyt think there illusion that it isnt going to be a long fight. Rallies inng these dozens of cities across the country. Andvon martins parents their supporters are continuing to speak out. Host elizabeth dias, a part of the team with the cover story on Time Magazine. Thank you for being with us. Let me go back to Armstrong Williams and her point about the Civilrights Movement and the Voting Rights act of 1965. The civil rights movement, congressman john lewis, had this to say. [video clip] the day of the Supreme Court decision broke my heart. It made me want to cry. I felt like saying, come and walk in the shoes of people who tried to register, tried to vote, but did not live to see the passage of the Voting Rights act. I know each of you knows this history, but i think is important for the record to beforehat life was like the body rights act of 1965. When i first came to washington, d. C. In 1961, the same year that president barack obama was born, blacks and whites could not sit together on a bus travelling through virginia, through north carolina, through georgia, alabama, mississippi, new orleans. We saw signs the said white only, colored only. In many parts of this country, people were denied the right to register to vote simply because of the color of their skin. They were harassed and intimidated and fired from their jobs and forced awful firms and plantations. Those who tried off of farms and dentitions plantations. Before the full audit rights act, people stood in emmelines. Before the both the rights act, people would stand in immovable lines. They would be asked to come the number of jelly beans in a jar. Host your comment. Guest the Supreme Court was absolutely correct. Why are we still having pre clearance for Southern States only . Have totates like texas pre clear there voting laws . Todayhould be in place was a reflection is a reflection of the progress. President barack obama was elected president and be elected president. This country has made tremendous progress. There are issues we have to fight. But the laws in terms of the pre or outdated. Everything that happens pre are outdated. E if people go out into their own research and study the issues themselves, they will come to a different conclusion. From our independent line, good morning. We focus on Race Relations in america. You are on the air. Please go ahead. Caller good morning, sir. Turn the volume down. That will eliminate the . Echo. Talkingwe have enough head type people on these shows. Mr. Mycal denzel smith is absolutely right. I listened to a god a guy earlier about the 911 col. Why did he stay in his car . Call. 1 area, a young man who got shot down. We have got to go all the way back and look at what happened to the black people in america from slavery up to now. You will find out why the black man does not take care of his son. During slavery, we would breed babies because we were made to do that. Drugs. The dope and the drugs are coming into the communities and there are no jobs. Obviously, no responsibility, somebody elses problem. Our Founding Fathers certainly have irresponsibility to make sure that slavery never found itself on our soil. There is no excuse for drugs. There is no excuse for fathers his not being a father for their kids or being a role model. Not being ahers father to their kids or being being fathers to their kids are being a role model. Row and theat death cases where an innocent person was put on death row. Tactics used by police are not. Sed to identify criminals they are identifying crime and trying to get to a conclusion. They are not trying to identify the actual perpetrators. They are trying to get to a conclusion. To go back to what armstrong was saying about the loadie rights act and asking why we need pre clarence, i would support giving , i wouldearance support getting it for every state. Look at which states passed the Voting Rights act first. That is always brought up is that it is just an idea and everyone should have won. That goes to inequality in this country. Withs not been a problem our voting system. Address theg to problem that does not exist. Why are we trying to address it . To keep certain people away from voting. We are on like Armstrong Williams, we are also on cspan radio. M 110. X ohio. Columbus, good morning. Like to ask the panel one thing. Women on theix jury would have been black . Host we will get their response and come back for your follow up. Guest i do not think the jury makeup would have changed the verdict. 40 were white. 20 were hispanic. People need to heal. If people need to heal, let them protests. Let them work this out. That is the american way. We should celebrate it. That people have that. Host agree or disagree . Guest if the jury was made up of six black women, there would have been more of a chance of identification with Trayvon Martin as opposed to George Zimmerman. There would have been more empathy. There may have been a different verdict. Ere might have been an hung trial. Caller basically, you are saying no matter what or who is on the jury, the man needs to be punished again even though he was found not guilty. Where were the protesters when 2 black fellows approach to the mom and said, give us money. If you dont we are going to shoot your baby. Head, aank, shot in the 18 month old baby. Where were the black population what was the black population of people marching for this baby . Nobody on cnn or mcnbc. Msnbc. Nobody spoke about that atrocity. Guest this is difficult for me to say. Couldlly, 80 of blacks really care less. All they really care about is that there was a black man who was killed. Guest i do not think what we are seeing where was the community that this child was from . Guest she said they did. She said were worthy black protesters . It is not to say they did not care about that baby. It is a horrific incident. We are talking about and root cause. The reason they hill that baby was not because of their blackness. The reason that they killed that baby was not because of their blackness. Guest youthbang George Zimmerman killed Trayvon Martin because he with black . You think George Zimmerman killed Trayvon Martin because he was black . He decided that he was going to take justice into his own hands. I do not have to think George Zimmerman was innocent or even not guilty. I was not on the jury and i am not in a court of law. I believe George Zimmerman was guilty of murder. Host attorney general eric holder on tuesday spoke to the annual convention of the naacp. He also spoke about his own personal experiences in talking about Race Relations with his son. Here is a portion of his remarks. [video clip] question lawsto that expand the question of selfdefense to dangerous constructs in on a bullet. Constructs in our neighborhoods. Hes lost try to fix something that was never broken. There has always been a Legal Defense to using deadlye ford deadly force if no retreat is available. Such laws undermine public safety. They have victimize too many who are innocent. It is our collective obligation. Must stand our ground [applause] we must get our ground to ensure that our laws reduce violence and taking a hard look at laws that contribute to more violence than they present. Martins death last year and the discussions death taking place since then reminded me of my fathers word so many years ago. It brought me back to a number of experiences i had as a young man when i was pulled over twice and my car searched on the new jersey turnpike when i was sure i was not speeding, or when i was stopped by a Police Officer while running to catch a movie at night in georgetown in washington, d. C. I was, at the time of that last incident, a federal prosecutor. [laughter] caused mertins death to sit down and have a conversation with my own 15 yearold son. This was a fatherson tradition i hoped would not need to be handed down. Son father who loves his and is known more knowing in the ways of the world, i have a responsibility not to burden erasith the baggage of long gone, but to make him aware of what he must still confront. The Naacp Convention held just a few miles of where the trial took place in orlando, florida. Guest eric holder hit on the same point barack obama hit on. But he hit on a bigger indictment of racism that barack obama did. These are the concerns of people raising black youth in this country. On will have to tack lessons of an era that they thought was gone because the problems still persist. Host one of our viewers brought up the issue of the time and that was killed. This is the story from cnn if you want to get more information. Arrested. Were the 17yearold will likely be charged as an adult. Was in anthold boy stroller being pushed by his mother. Florida, the democrat s line. Few comments. A obama said trent lott could have been trayvon could have been him 35 years ago. He could have suffered the same fate, too. People perjured themselves by saying the telephone call that ended with the shot was George Zimmerman. We all know it was Trayvon Martin. George zimmerman was deciding whether to shoot or not to shoot. We all know that he shot. Case was lost and jury selection. No blacks, no chance. There were blacks, but it just did not work out. I want to go back to something eric holder said, the attorney general. I love the fact that he said he counsels his son. As a father, he knows more about the world. It only makes the argument for the importance of having a father in the household. George zimmermans case was not about stand your ground. But the attorney general was pandering because he realizes he caseot bring a hate crime because the bar is so high. That is what gave the president leeway to talk about this case and put it in the proper context. The department of justice is not going any further. The jury made its decision and we should move on. The headline is, obama has something to say about Trayvon Martin and americans needed to hear it. Although his apparently unconnected comments in the White House Press room drew scorn and accusations of racism by some on the right, he was right to lay out a constructive and nonpolitical path will work. Your comments. Guest the president s remarks were absolutely excellent. No other president who has ever been in that white house could have had experiences that president obama had. He had credibility, he was measured. Works theystem still matter how flawed it is. It is the best in the world. We have to respect it and move on because it still works. Host our next caller is joining us from virginia. Caller i just have a few comments to make. About theant to talk history of racism. Racism actually began in greece. They said what was purity. As far as africans and blacks in america being enslaved, go into the Civilrights Movement, effective obama and thinking racism was over, we have been fooled. Host have you been fuld . Guest we are talking about the issue fooled . Ve you been guest we are talking up the issue of racism. They were not slaves because they were black. Fromseparated slaves indentures servants. That is the history we are dealing with. If we have not dealt with that history, yes we are being fooled into believing that this is not a country built on racism. America, unlike in place in the world, based it on skin color. That is when it became racism. Guest we codified racism into the law. Host there is no question whatsoever that Law Enforcement is biased against minorities. Agree or disagree . Guest it is taught in Law Enforcement. I find it very shocking. In talking to Law Enforcement of the issue ofuse black youths. We need to change the way Law Enforcement teaches their officers to identify threats. Guest i absolutely agree with Armstrong Williams on that. Instead of teaching that young people young black people are the threat to feed into explicit and implicit bias in this country, it continues the idea that black men are the sole commanders of crime in this country. Problem of crime in this country. Law enforcement needs to be aware of this bias, aware of this racism and they have to be dedicated to one doing it. Host here is more from the president on friday. [video clip] i pastwas in illinois, racial profiling legislation. It collected data on traffic stops and the rest of the person who was stopped. Training Police Departments across the state on how to think about potential furtherias in ways to professionalize what they were doing. Initially, the Police Departments across the state were resistant. But they came to recognize that if it was done in a fair, straightforward way, it would allow them to do their jobs better and communities would have more confidence in them and it would be more helpful. In applying the law. We are talking about police dedicating themselves to undoing racial profiling, assuming black youths are always the perpetrators. You cannot separate the police from the larger cultural system and the larger cultural messaging of black men as criminals. Guest in my experience, i have been stopped by Police Officers. I like to speak. I like the gas. In every instance i learned this from my father. Whenever you are stopped by an officer of the law, you always show respect. The best thing to do is to be quiet and answer questions. In all my instances which Police Officers, the last thing they want to do is give you a ticket. The last thing they want to do is get into a piece with you beef beef with you. If you are not taught the are the enemy, if you see them as people who put their lives on if your to protect you, attitude is different and is, let me cooperate and work with this person it is better to have a good attitude. Just say, yes, officer, yes, officer. You will find you will not get a ticket and you will have a pleasant experience. Is our next caller on the republican line. Difficultcredibly and deep subject. I will bring up an aspect nobody has considered. I have done a Street Ministry for a number of years. One of the things i tell people i have contact with is be ousness. Of covet is identified as idolatry. Abouts why i am concerned it for the black community in particular. I think the black community has bought hook, line, and center sinker that they have a right to other peoples stuff. This might be the reason for black crime. God hates idolatry. He does not like competition. I ask you to take his home and to on a little bit. I know it is coming from left and chew on it a little bit. Host where do you preach . You call yourself a streak minister. What does that mean . Caller i teach in College Towns and in prisons. To race ands prejudice and stuff like that, i tell people, particularly in prisons, that what goes on is that there is part of the human mind that is like a computer. Just goes like, unlike. The we are talking about sexes, the minds of those unlike. If there is something there the mind goes unlike. The mind goes unlike. Thinking for the call. We could do an hour on just that. Guest that people do not want your stuff. They do not want to take your belongings. They want access to what has been described as the american dream. They won access to the same education and the same opportunities. They want access to the same education and the same opportunities. It is about wanting with the american promise is supposed to be. Guest the majority of whites in this country have not realize the american dream. When a thief is going into someone plus the house whether to steal their belongings or their lives, they feel they should have been because they do not want to work for it. That is not about race. That is what thievery is. Guest we can talk about the poverty rate among white people. The extremely high. It is disproportionate when we talk about black people. There is a share of poverty among black people in proportion to their existing in this country. It is disproportionate. That is not to say we should only focus on black people or on of thatbecause disparity. We should be focusing on everyone. Racism means that white ness gives you access to those things before other people. Guest many white people listening today would not agree with you. Guest it is race. It is class. It is gentle. It is Sexual Orientation. It is all it is gender. It is all of these things operating at one time. Host how you assign privilege . Guest if i go to a Job Interview and i am dressed the same way you are and we go in with similar backgrounds similar education and they looked at me and they see a criminal still, but they look at you and they hire you, that is your privilege because you are white mess is not associated with criminality. My blackness is. Guest privilege is when you have the ownership and the clouds through your network for you can make a difference in to your Clout Network where you can make a difference in somebodys life. If somebody comes in with tattoos, that is not something i want in my company. If they want to get hired, if they want opportunities, are going to have to adhere to somebody elses rules and guidelines. Reform the drug laws, reform the prison systems and hire young people. Ood morning, caller turn your volume down and we will hear you much better that way. Caller i am calling from apple valley, california. I grew up in the woodscrew up in north carolina. I have not grew up in north carolina. I have seen a lot of racism. I have a friend who is in prison doneave never has never anything wrong. We have a man who killed a young man. You are not supposed to take a life and walk free. There is a problem. We are constantly talking about the situation, but we are not coming up with any solutions to resolve it. The propaganda that has gone on for years and years has ruins the reputation of african descendants. You look at our color, but automatically you are afraid. You did not know us as people. You know us as a color. God created man and woman. Man created race as separation. We are all human beings and we are only in this world for a short time. Host how do we get there . What is your solution . Caller you come together as a people. Stop being discriminating because you do not understand the person. If you say hello to a neighbor and a neighbor says hello back to you, you have equated yourself with someone new who expected you to be someone else because of the propaganda of the color of your scan skin. To thehat goes back question i posed to elizabeth dias. After Trayvon Martin. Where do we go . Guest i am getting to know mycal. It is not just a job. You have to have conversations beyond what you are comfortable with. Once you get to know each other, you think about race whether you are conservative, liberal, what your Sexual Orientation is. You have values in common. You have interest in things you actually agree on. You cannot do that if you are so dismissive and you are not willing to have a conversation and willing to say, hi, my name is Armstrong Williams. With mr. Would agree williams. Having a father, role models in general, held so much. It is problematic that conservative African Americans beh as mr. Williams seem to automatically is credited by other africanamericans. Or worse names. If they do not speak slang, they are told they are acting white and told that they are less black and some of these role models that African Americans rappers whouch as are out there glorify crime. Host we will take a call from stacy. Aller i will say, god bless Armstrong Williams. Think it is the people like mycal who are keeping racism alive. I am a white girl who has been pulled over several times for no reason whatsoever. It is about attitude. It is not about being some kind of victim all the time. With this George Zimmerman thing, he is not even a white man. He is also a minority. Host we will leave it there. We will begin with Mycal Denzel Smith. Guest this thing with George Zimmerman being a minority, we are talking about racism. It affects us all. Each not that we hate other. We hate blackness. We hate things associated with blackness. That is what it is built on. We branch out and say we hate latinos and we discriminate against people of asian descent. But the core of it is anti blackness. I am not keeping racism alive. I am trying to address it and to have an agenda about how we unto racism in this country. Guest it is sad that he feels that america hates blackness. It is a sad comment. Obviously, he believes that. We have to show that this is not the case. I believe people all over the world, especially in the United States, america is much better than we think she is. As you live and make more people, you will find that out. Guest we can talk about the interpersonal types of relationships. It is not that i have a bad experience with every white person that i know. We are talking about cultural and systemic messaging about blackness and systemic issues blacknesspolicing and the opportunities that blackness of force you. Host Mycal Denzel Smith can be read online at thenation. Com. Armstrong williams is on xm radio power 110. A busy week on capitol hill as lawmakers try to move on a number of fronts, including the issue of student loans. This intot all perspective. They are called the navigator is, those individuals and organizations to help you to thoseator navigators, individuals and organizations that help you shop for Health Insurance. In the water that we drink and the infrastructure needed to upgrade and improve the delivery of water. That is tomorrow morning, 7 00 a. M. Eastern. Thank you for joining us on this sunday. I hope you enjoy the rest of your weekend. Have a great week ahead. [captioning performed by national captioning institute] [captions Copyright National cable satellite corp. 2013] , newsmakers with henry waxman of california. Reviewhearing on the irs process. I decided it was a delicious subject for a biography. This also at the bedside of William Mckinley. I realize what a which subject it was