out at the ballot box. it could play out when you see what happens in terms of the foot soldiers. the party infrastructure itself is turning the party is going to want to put the resources on the ground and support their candidate. thatfinitely is a struggle is worth watching. it remains to be seen if it affects the turnout republicans have come to expect. >> you can read more of politico.com and follow her on twitter. thank you for your time. >> thank you. we are here live in cedar rapids tonight waiting for paul ryan and other speakers. you can take part by sharing your comments with us. you can send us a tweet.

use the #c-span chat. on facebook we are using the question would paul ryan make a good president. here, hostedr him by the iowa republican party. [inaudible] [no audio]

>> tonight's keynote speaker at the lincoln dinner, the iol republican party, he is there near the stage. paul ryan. the congressman from wisconsin. the chair of the budget committee. we are asking the question, would paul ryan make a good president. you can share your comments and opinions during this remark tonight. a couple of remarks we have gotten, amy says based on the budget he is trying to pass, i'm going to say no. cody writes paul ryan is an intelligent man and he would be an ok president. share your opinions and comments at facebook.com. as things get underway, and as can -- and as things continue throughout the night.

[no audio]

>> what's your name? scott. >> where you from? >> cedar falls.

>> what's your name? >> day. likes nice to meet you. >> another one? >> it didn't take. >> did you get it? you bet. >> what's your name? >> christie. >> did you get it? great. >> what's your name? >> jess. like steve mind if we take a picture? -- >> d-take a picture? >> paul ryan, nice to meet you.

>> i saw paul. >> i was on the budget committee. he told me a lot about the budget. >> we would love to take you to delaware county. >> i will probably come through here. >> we are going to have a dinner. >> we have a lot of congressional races. you will have a lot of people come. >> we would love to have you come to a dinner. great. >> brandon. >> nice to meet you. >> 1, 2, 3.

>> great picture. >> ea. -- yeah. >> there with me. >> i'm judy. >> nice to meet you. >> what is this? >> setting up for a selfie. >> excellent. nice to meet you. appreciate it. didn't work? >> there we go.

[no audio] >> if you can find your seats, we will get started. on behalf of the state central

committee, i would like to welcome you to this lincoln dinner. pastor bernie hayes is with us tonight. if you would make your way to the platform. is my honor as newly elected chair to welcome you to this dinner. this is my maiden voyage. my past experience has always been as a candidate. you're going to hear from candidates tonight. one of the things i appreciate is a meeting that moves along. we intend to keep things hopping tonight. our guest wants to get home to wisconsin to cook -- get back home to tuck his kids in bed. we may make that happen. we will keep things moving right along. is goingiend of mine to lead us in our opening prayer. would you please stand.

engineersin a town of and farmers. you tend to boil things down into their components. the numbers go something like this. you can go 40 days without food. seven days without water. four minutes without air. but a jewish rabbi said, man shall not live by bread alone but by god. that is captured by david. bless the lord of my soul. verse three, he forgives all your inequities and your sense. he crowns you with lovingkindness. the lord executes righteousness and justice for those who are

press. those are the things we need to live. we can survive, but we need love, justice, forgiveness and eternity in order to live. join me as i recite psalm as we pray together. the lord of my soul. who forgives all your inequities and feel -- and heals all your diseases. who crowns you with lovingkindness. who satisfies your mouth with good things of that your renewed . the lord executes righteousness and justice. is merciful and gracious. slow to anger and abounding in mercy. not dealt this after our sense. as the heavens are high above the earth, so great is his murphy -- is his mercy.

as a father pities his children so the board pities those who fear him. he remembers we are thus. field, sower of the he flourishes. the mercy of the lord from everlasting, his righteousness to children's children, keep his covenant, a river his commandments, do them. -- and remember his commandments, and do them. blessed are those who do his pleasure. lest the lord, all his works, all places in his domain. and bless this nation. amen. >> please remain standing. i would like to invite my friend to come to the podium and lead

us in the pledge. i would like to express my appreciation for his hard work in helping bring this dinner together. many hands make light work. please join us in the pledge. >> i pledge allegiance to the flag, of the united states of america, and to the republic, for which it stands, one nation, under god, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. >> you may be seated. i would like to take this opportunity to recognize at least one special guest, who has

graciously yielded his time. he is just a farmer. he probably -- [applause] know who i was talking about? i haven't given you his name yet. he is probably not at all qualified to be the chair of anything. heard think somehow he there was a free meal tonight. [laughter] he spent $700 on an airplane ticket to come for a free meal. lease help me welcome chuck grassley. [applause]

thank you for being with us tonight. keep tonight will moving right along. we have a lot of candidates we want you to me. we want to make sure we have plenty of time for our honored guests, and congressman paul ryan. i'm going to set an example and keep my remarks under two minutes. at the same time, i'm going to introduce the mc. introduction of my you will appreciate where we are going. it is a great time to be a republican. a great time to be a conservative. , remember something republicans run on issues, republicans win. that is what we intend to do. they are built on a solid foundation and tried-and-true over the last 30 years. experiences in

office was serving ron corbett. legislationed solid in the mid-to-late 1990's. one of those pieces of legislation's was a 10% across the board cut in the income tax rate in iowa. if you have been to visit your cpa, you're paying less in income taxes because of the leadership of speaker ron corbett. it is only fitting he should be our mc tonight. here is the lesson. billpaulson and leader dicks need more so we can proceed that legislation. those of you who will be speaking, don't mess with speaker corbett. i have seen him running gavel. he is a man of substance. he will knock you right off the podium if you go over your time. [applause]

>> thank you. welcome. those meetings where you are supposed to eat while people talk. i have five kids. i am used to five kids talking while -- five kids eating well i'll talk. you are allowed to eat. we will allow -- we would like your attention. i am the mc for tonight. looking at this list of candidates, i know why danny emcee.me to be the w he needed someone to make sure everyone stayed on time. on whethergree term limits are good or not, one thing we can agree on is time limits will not be by strict rule. tonight, we have a list of candidates that will go from our u.s. senate to our first

congressional district for a -- seconddition congressional district, and then we will hear from our statewide candidates. candidates,up the as you do, as i call to the stage, we have representatives along with matt whitaker, and mark jacobs. if we could have the candidates come forward and ask them to stand on the stage. while each is speaking, if everyone gets three minutes, we will be here 10-15 minutes. if you are for the u.s. senate, you may be participating in a filibuster from time to time. if you can't get used to standing for 15 minutes on the stage, you will not be ready for your filibuster. as each one of the candidates comes to the stage, i want to

welcome you to cedar rapids. i was the second largest city -- it was the second largest city. although we are a city, we have strong roots to rural iowa. we may not be the egg capital of the united states, but we are one of the largest ethanol producers in the world. we are number one. companies like adm and conferred produce ethanol in our community. rail inn comes in by over a thousand trucks per day. our candidates are on stage. first we will recognize scott's campaign. [applause] >> hello. i'm speaking on behalf of scott

shay been tonight. he couldn't make it. he is in jefferson this evening. if you have not had the opportunity to visit with him about his campaign, he was like the opportunity to meet as many of you as possible before the primary. as a resident of the state of iowa and nevada run of our military, and a graduate of one of our state universities, he not only has the background similar to many of you, he shares concerns regarding the future of the nation. the campaign is about more than into rhetoric. when it comes to the nation debt, balancing the budget is and now. -- balancing the budget isn't enough. he would like to propose legislation for a 50 state concealed carry permit in the can obtain.merican he would like to introduce legislation some veterans will have benefits clearly defined

before they are discharged. i anchor and you do get to know scott before the primary. to learn more, visit his website. follow him on facebook and twitter. thank you for your time. scott looks forward to the opportunity to get to meet you in the future. thank you. [applause] >> thank you. so everyone knows, i will set my stopwatch. at the 2.5 minute mark i will make my way up. at the three minute mark i will nudge you in the side. our next candidate is matt whitaker. please welcome mat. matt. [applause] >> hello. once we get finished speaking, you are going to agree with me to any of these candidates would be a better united states senator ben bruce braley.

than bruce bailey. i'm a small business owner. i have created jobs in iowa. single-story buildings. metal roofs. for 5.5 years i served as the united states attorney for the southern district via what. i was a federal prosecutor and put bad guys in prison. the greatest title i will have his father and husband. that i you may remember pay for college by playing football for the university of iowa. i played on the last roosevelt team. we have been married for 12 -- we have been married for 20 years. we have three kids. if we don't do something, they are the first generation whose opportunities will be less than their parents generation. i believe what ronald reagan said. as government expands, liberty contracts.

i'm running on a platform of freedom and liberty. standing up for freedom against obamacare. a $1.2 trillion tax on our small businesses, killing jobs, and turning small businesses. i am standing up for economic freedom. with united states is 12th, i understand rankings. -- 12 behind estonia, something is wrong. for ourg to stand up religious freedoms. this administration continues to assault those religious freedoms protected by our first amendment. they are going after a second minute rides. they're going after our fourth amendment rights. i believe that standing up for freedom is the calling of our time. join me in this effort. i need your help.

i need your support. i am asking for your vote on june 3. i am asking for your prayers for my family. god bless you and may god bless the united states of america. thank you. [applause] >> thank you. our next candidate is joni earns. [applause] >> good evening everyone. i'm a republican running for united states senate. i would like to tell you exactly why i am running for united states senate. soldier, andas a as a conservative, i am terrified at the policies that i see coming out of our administration today.

liberal policies, high taxes, obamacare, cap and trade. -- e all of you that is why i am running for united states senate. i'm running because as a mother, i'm concerned about the legacy that we will be leaving our children and our grandchildren. we can no longer allow our federal government to borrow $.40 out of every dollar that it spends. we have to put an end to that. to make surei want our children and grandchildren inherit the same great nation that all of us inherited. that is why i'm running for united states senate as a mother. i am also running for united states senate because i am a soldier. i'm a veteran of operation iraqi freedom. a battalion commander in the iowa national guard. as a soldier, i know we must

maintain a strong national defense. but it -- both at home and abroad. our servicemen and women need our support. hard for fought very all of us. i will make sure that i am fighting as equally hard or harder for them. that is why i am running for united states senate as a soldier. i'm also running for united states senate because i am a proven conservative. i serve in the iowa state senate as an assistant republican leader. bad forhe obamacare is business. i stood up against obamacare and the state of iowa, building against the medicaid expansion that are iowa senate democrats proposed. i stood against the federal exchanges here in the state. as a conservative, i helped push

through and passed the largest tax increase in iowa history. it will save iowans $4.4 billion over the next 10 years. as a conservative, we have to have smaller government. we must have smaller government. that is why i'm running for united states senate. as a mother, as a soldier, and as a conservative. our government has got too big, too expensive, and too intrusive in our personal lives. support to for your send me to washington dc as your next united states senator. braley fromp bruce replacing our iowa values with his washington dc bureaucracy. thank you. my website to learn more about my candidacy. thank you. have a great night.

[applause] >> thank you. our next candidate is sam clovis. [applause] >> i'm professor. i will use the podium. that the united states senate race in iowa is not a beauty contest. [laughter] on the ite third stop is not just a rather pretty -- another pretty face tour. i am proud to be a republican. i'm not going to give you the stump speech tonight. i'm going to talk to you about being a republican. right now and our party we have a lot of factions. there is a lot of tension.

i want to tell you how proud i am to be a republican. those tensions, those fights that are going on right now are this the best pathway for country to liberty. the best pathway for this country to be on a path to get back to the opportunities that were promised to us in the declaration of independence and the constitution. we are on a pathway, to make sure that we get back and hit the reset button for this nation , so that in 2015, when they see the new congress, and in 2017 when we see the republican president, that we have within us the authority of the constitution of this country to start dismantling this to struct this to struct of miss that has been going on. [applause] i am running for united states senate because i want to be part

of that. i want to be a person that is on the point leading the charge to reestablishing liberty. the preamblese in of the constitution says we must promote. fore must preserve liberty ourselves and posterity. you are part of that. you have a decision to make. you have a choice to make on who the next senator from iowa is going to be. i want you to know that this is about service. this is about selflessness. this is about leadership. this is about principle. talking conservative principles. tonight, i am proud to be a republican in a party that is fighting for liberty rather than in a party that is unified, focus on the destruction of those freedoms in this country. i want you to understand one thing. when i go to washington dc, and

i will, i want you to know that i will never turn my head away from this great state, and you, the people of iowa. i have been twice the speed of sound. i've seen the curve of the earth. 1000 miles an hour off the ground. i am married to the love of my life. they have nothing i don't already have. thank you for having me here tonight. i appreciate it. [applause] you.ank now, our final candidate, mark jacobs. [applause] >> thank you. thank you for being here tonight. thek you for supporting republican party of iowa. as somebody who is new to politics, i can't tell you how helpful that is to have all of these great people in this room supporting our party.

thank you very much. thatof you probably know i'm a businessman. i have never run for political office before. i have never held any office before. i care very deeply about this country. i want to show to statistics to you. the number of families living on food stamps has nearly doubled in the last five years. statistic, 58.8% of americans are employed. than it was lower in 2007. something is very wrong here in america. we are losing the very thing that has made america the great country it is today. this is always the land of opportunity. if you worked hard and were committed you can earn a better life for yourself and your family. make no mistake, that is the principal today that is under attack.

the things i learned over the course of my business we are, if you want to solve a problem, it to the root calls. -- root cause. a lack of good jobs. i want to be very clear. the federal government does not create jobs. that may come as a surprise to president obama and congressman braley. that is the role of the private sector, to create jobs. the federal government does create an environment that makes growth in the private sector easier or more difficult. the fact of the matter is, the president and congressman braley have gone right along with this every step along the way. made it more difficult for the private sector to grow. whether it is energy policy, the regulatory climate, the tax regime we have, or obamacare that is going to cost 2.5 million less people to work. somehow the president spends

this. this is good because people will have more leisure time. that is malarkey. the core problem we have is not enough people working and paying taxes. to thising forward fall. i'm looking for to the contrast i will be able to draw against congressman braley. a career politician. somebody who is on camera saying that his stand up for the interests of trial lawyers instead of hard-working iowans. someone who comes from the private sector who has tackled difficult problems and work with people with different points of view. thank you. i'm ready for united states senate. i would love to have your support and your vote. [applause] >> let's give these candidates one more round of applause. [applause]

>> thank you for being able to put the name on the ballot for public scrutiny. theof the advantages being prerogative take a and leeway to put in a few shameless plugs about the city of cedar rapids. and the great community that i represent. i mentioned earlier that cedar rapids is the largest ethanol producer in the state, in the country. will you may not know is we are also the largest piece to producer in all of north america. -- onlyond to accompany second to another company. we continue to have a rich

history of rule and urban here in the city. it is my pleasure now to bring craig toage, we have introduce a short video. thank you. [applause] >> thank you. i am a nationally syndicated radio talkshow host. and a producer for gadson films. take a breako here. i'm not running for office. we're going to have a film from our friend called america. onwill be out in theaters the fourth of july. we have a brief trailer for that. then i will come back and give you another break and talk about , unfair, talking about scandals.

>> we are calling it iphone. >> mr. gorbachev, tear down this wall. smallat's one stall -- nsa step for man. >> i have a dream. ask not what your country can do for you. ask what you can do for your country. >> the war with germany has ended. >> the only thing we have to fear is fear itself. >> all men are created equal. they are endowed by their creator with certain unalienable rights. among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. >> pull the line.

>> general washington. >> imagine the unimaginable. likewould the world look if america did not exist. >> america, in theaters this summer.

[applause] >> next, i would like to welcome a few state legislatures and elected officials. if you're here, would you please dance we can recognize you. [applause] thank you. next, we have our first district candidate. has his hair. i know i have highlighted that cedar rapids is an ad processing capital of the world. the world's largest manufacturing in the city. we have more manufacturing jobs here in cedar rapids then des

moines or any other community. that is led by our largest employer. rockwell collins. over 20,000 employees worldwide. -- 80,000e in the here. our first speaker representing himself, please welcome gail oliver. [applause] >> thank you. connect withes to the audience. could you please raise your hand? thank you. if you are interested in a victory this fall, would you please stand up. now, look at each table. look at each table. you are the court to victory

this fall. look around. we need to have teamwork and put this together. we can win this fall. let's address how we are going to do that. it is not going to be easy. here are the steps. let's analyze where we are. here it is. 25 of the state senator is our publicans. 40% of the state representatives are republicans. if you're a football coach, your job will be on the line. that is not good news. are,dly, the registrations 30% democrat, 30% republican, or a percent and dependent. what that tells us is we cannot win this alone. it tells us we have to have a new strategy. we will offer you a new strategy. here is the strategy. it must start now. address for core issues. more my website. please see that. let's go with these for tonight. we had to do something about the

national debt. everybody agrees to that. let's do that in two ways. let's reduce entitlements. more on that tonight. let's also grow the economy. will create jobs. how to be create jobs? $2 trillion of cash overseas that corporations can't bring back because of the tax rate. we reduce that tax rate. that money comes back. that energizes the economy. that creates jobs. they creates good jobs. the first thing, national debt. let's create some jobs. it is in our hands. we have to do something about immigration. there is a lot of negativity. let's get over that. let's look forward. that is, let's do two things. let's seal the border. website. there is a picture of the fence.

thing, we need to address those illegals that are here and those we are not gathering from the international world. that is not smart. we need to have a smart immigration policy that deals with the legalization process for those already here. they add to our economy. we are losing jobs by not having that. the senate passed the bill in june. why the house hasn't done it, it is losing the country jobs. 30% ofrth thing, republicans, dirty percent are independents. we have to broaden our field. we have to broaden our exposure. is social issues. we have to stay out of peoples's lives and learn to let people live and get along to people -- get along together. we will have a victory this fall.

i'm running for the first congressional district. i would appreciate your vote june 3 so we can win in the fall. thank you. [applause] >> next, eric rosenthal. >> thank you. i am the elected preset representative for precinct 10. i'm the former chair of the lee county republican party. he has a priorities of family first. he has sent me. i first met broad in the last campaign. i had done a lot of data work. i have have i masters of accounting. i did a lot of data work on the first congressional district. a tough race. i work for been lying.

i first met broad during that time. started toafter, we meet every time i came north. i started working with rob right away. he never stopped running. he just kept running. began to gather the financial resources, which he has, and the volunteers, which he has, he broad coalition formed around rob. he never stopped running. right now, he is a very motivated and busy individual. he talks too many groups during the week. role ase has taken this runner-up in the last primary very seriously.

amount apared to significant campaign. one thing you should know is that in 2014, we have a very good chance to do what we did like in 1990. jim russell captured the sea. it was an off year then. likely thaty, it is we have a very good chance to capture this seat. i would encourage you to look closely at rod and his candidacy. the coalition he represents are broad. he stands on the constitution. he even came a year ago when i almost died, to visit a representative in the hospital. he cares about the little guy. he works tirelessly. he will work tirelessly for you. thank you. [applause] >> on behalf of of eric rosenthal, congratulations and thank you.

notice, al mille lobby, when you've are gathering out there before the meal, there were silent auction items. i wanted to announce some of the auction winners. dan is an auction winner. you one an auction. we will collect from you. vendor, marcy. also one. .ike bearden you one for items. thank you and congratulations. thank you. we have our second congressional district candidate. we have one here tonight. if mary inedible come forward i will recognize her.

[applause] >> how is everyone tonight? are you happy to be here? absolutely. mark twain said a long time ago that if you've read -- if you don't read the newspaper you are uninformed. if you read the newspaper you are misinformed. you read the paper, you know that i resign from the department of public health in january abruptly and in a controversy. in fact, i resigned from the department to run for congress. that road to congress is circuitous. my father was a sergeant in the air force. i was the fourth of eight kids. i was severely burned at 15 years old. i decide i want to become a doctor. i was the fourth of those eight kids. that was a pretty high goal to

achieve. my dad gets reassigned back in san antonio texas. i leave home at 16 years old. i am listed in the army -- i am listed in the army at age 18 years old. i got degree in nursing. i got a masters in education. i did go to medical school and fulfill my dream. would you want to run for congress? when i talk to people in iowa, even at the department of public health, what i hear is there is no one standing up for the little guy. look at me. i am the little guy. i am standing up. me --hey tell they are concerned about health care. their take-home pay. theoverexertion of government. health care. it needs to be affordable. portable. a choice that you make. not the government imposes upon

you. centered.o be patient nec preserve the doctor-patient relationship. we don't have to have winners and losers. we can all be winners. when i am elected to congress, to me make this clear. you can keep your doctor and lose your congressman. [applause] increase your take on pay. we have a state here in iowa that exports john deere tractors , corn, soybeans, and windows. we can expert the economic policies of our governor to washington. we need pro growth tax policies. we need spending restraint. we shouldn't demonize people who have the courage to talk about bending restraint and a balanced budget. look at what we can do with jobs.

milton friedman said a society that values equality over freedom will have neither. if we want to expand the middle class, we need to put an end to triple -- the economics of trickle up. i was one of eight kids. we need a government that has a safety net. i wish i could say that all eight of us went to college, did great things. we didn't. some of those eight have fallen on hard times. when the safety net gets so expansive, what happens? they get afraid and the holes get bigger. people fall into those holes and

we never get out. we need to transform safety nets into trampolines. you are propelled upward. everyone wants the dignity of a job to support themselves and their community. that same government must be accountable. we would have watched fast and furious. the nsa spying on people. we have had drones that may attack american citizens abroad. the nsa. the irs. veterans in the room like me, please stand. veteran, thank you for your service. we wouldravesty that leave american citizens on the rooftop of benghazi and not go to their aid.

we have a mayor who has tried to tell us that as margaret thatcher said, being powerful is like being a lady. if you have to tell people you are, you aren't. i ask for your vote. if you can't vote for me, contribute to me. let's get our country back on track. thank you. [applause] >> thank you. next, we have our district three candidates. robert is not here. earlier, rockwell collins is our largest manufacturer. they have a facility. equipment to boeing. they started from an arbiter

started from an entrepreneur with a love of flying. he wasn't the only person that had a love of flying. lived wilbur wright also there. you'll notice the name on the street has the right -- is the wright brothers lavar. we have our third district candidate. [applause] you, mayor.ee when i was a kid, i had a dream to own my own hardware store. i had that store for 18 years. i sold it. right now i have an i.t. company. store, i didn't like what was going on in my

city. i ran for city council and i ran for mayor. had some ofed, we the highest property taxes. when i got done, we have the lowest property taxes. because i ran it like a business. i decided to run for state senate. i've been in the state senate for two terms. i'm controversial at times. i have a bill to shut down the department of education. thank you. i have a build to get rid of common core. sorry mayor. i do not like those traffic enforcement cameras. there are good people running in this race. we have got to send someone to d.c. that has battled. i have a record a mile long. i have taken thousands of votes.

you do not have to guess where i am on issues. i'm not going to change. everyone goes to washington dc with good intentions. something happens to them. i have five kids. task that debt onto my children or any other younger people. we have got to send someone out to make tough decisions. everyone, to you, and i will tell you what i'm going to do. guess what. i will do that in washington dc. i will be home every weekend to be with my wife and my family. most of all, my neighbors and my bosses. i humbly ask you to support my campaign. god bless you all. this is a big election. i give you my word i will do the right thing, not based on

reelection. based on what is best for all of us. thank you. [applause] >> thank you senator. jake i would like to bring back up. had he had enough of speeches yet? we are halfway through. the video you're about to watch now is a trailer for a movie. exposing the irs. about a year ago when this irs scandal came to public light, i said something has to be done about this. we cannot let this opportunity to abolish the 16th amendment, repeal the 16th amendment, in the income tax, we cannot let this go. that is what the left does. on the right, especially in the entertainment industry, have

been lacking. how many of you know that the $4t out spends the right billion to one? we are trying to change that. .ith our friends we have a trailer for a movie that will be released in over a thousand theaters screens. right here in iowa and all across the nation. so, here we go. >> we are here to protest be burden put on the american people.