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>> can't president obama learn from some of his own democratic counter parts even governor cuomo who has to balance his own budget. they have to balance their own budget or they have to declare bankruptcy. >> part of the problem states are in is because they are living under so many federal mandates. this is the result of this top down government. the federal government makes decisions that effect the states but the federal government doesn't worry about how the states are going to pay for it. one of the biggest mistakes we ever made was the 17th amendment that led senators be directly elected...

Amendment? just explain that to us. >> in the original constitution states did have a formal role in checking federal power. it's when they selected senators that were selected by state legislators and with enactment of the 17th amendment that ended that former role and federal power has no formal constraint on it. you have to rely entirely on the courts and they haven't really done a very good job in doing that. >> as i understand it, the way your repeal amendment would work is if two-thirds of states don't want a certain federal statue, they can repeal it. >> if two-thirds decide to repeal, ...

Separation of church and state -- to clarify, you're telling me that the separation of church and state is found in the first amendment? >> the government shall make no establishment of -- >> that's in the first amendment. >> now, perhaps ms. o'donnell was simply trying to say the literal phrase separation of church and phrase is not in the first amendment. that's true. here's a relevant passage. congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion or prohibiting the free exercise thereof. the very first sentence, the very first amendment. the words separation of church and state...

Hear other extreme ideas from candidates when i'm out there. >> sure. >> like we should have an up or down vote on every rule or regulation proposed by any agency or repeal the 17th amendment. are these kinds of notions productive? >> the pendulum swings, and out there in the electorate, when people get angry, people express ang anger, and you get people, a lot of times in the mid terms, not normally involved in the process, and it's a melting pot. i mean, come on. >> okay. >> people in america can say anything and everything. >> and get elected for it. >> and why not talk about it. >> there's...

Say we want to have second-amendment remedies if you don't like -- people like bachmann who wants joe mccarthy tactics. a lot of really crazy screw ball calls -- not screw balls as people but their ideas are. why doesn't your party go after the screw balls and say the republicans are in bed with these nuts? >> that was the point of -- they could have executed that -- i don't think you get more unpopular in privatizing social security and medicare. so -- they have -- >> you can't defend your screw ball wing, can you? >> look, both parties have ample supplies of screw balls -- >> not so much on ...