>> we need to go buy a mattress. we need to send somebody asa >> i am sending them out the door as we speak. while w deal with this dilemma, let's finish everything else. throw the bed in last. she will never know. >> for like 10, $20, you can buy these pretty much anywhere. this gives it a nice. dressed look. i lo it. >> oh. i tell you what, courtny. this looks a lot bette than the

full bed. >> this is going to be awesome. i love these real organic surprises. >> hey brie lle. >> come on in. how is it going? i'm george. "open house" to the rescue. since you do so much for so many people. i thought i would help you. >> what do you think? >> i love it. i really d >> i feel a little silly for not realizing everything thawas going on around me. a little bit oblivious. i think it's better it's a surprise. i love it. it's amazing. i am still kind of in shock. i haven't absorbe it.

i feel so lucky for so many people to do this for me. i really appreciate it. i love it. >> that's all for this episode of "open house." joins next week for more properties and design. i'm sarah

>> this week on ispanics today"... in a city where hawks and doves rule the nest, he's shown that

even a swan has its place. meet the cuban-american who's raising the bar for ballet inside the beltway. she went from being a homemaker to a home builder. carmen dominguez--proof that following your passion is not only possible, buprofitable. and some days, it's hot enough t fry an egg on the sidewalk, but what about cooking a steak in the air? only in arizona will you find this recipe! >> hello from our studios in washington, d.c. i'm erica ortiz. bienvenidos and welcome to "hispanics today!" when you think of a nightt the ballet, it can be pretty intimidating. chances are, you picture rich people in fur coats and tuxes, afraid to cough or sneeze, lest they be shushed during the performance. well, ballet has changed. it has become more suited to different audiences and different tastes, thanks in part to a cuban-american dance genius named septime webre. he's adding a new look to ballet in one washington,

d.c.'s, most overlooked neighborhoods. >> in his eighth season as the artistic director of the washington ballet, septime webre has made a real presence in washington, d.c.'s, creative and social communities. webre has become a very charismatic leader and visionary for the one of the nation's top mid-size ballecompanies. he has been credited with successfully helping to transform the nation's capital, widelynown as the mecca of world politics, into an up-and-coming, hip, and urban artistic community. quite an accomplishment for the seventh son and the seventh of 9 children, thus the name septime. >> it feels a little, like, awkward. like, it feels like it doesn't quite flow. my parents where good, sortf recently arrived cuban-american immigrants and expected me to become a lawyer or a doctor or a architec and in fact, i had told them that i wasoing to be an attorney, and at a certain moment, i decided that i would pursue this ballet careerand i think my parents--

while they knew of my theatrical interests--had just imagined me as this high-powered lawyer, and it was probably 10 or 15 years into my dance career before they realized, "you know, i guess he's doing it for good." >> we used to think that people to the ballet are either older, rich, retired people, and septime have made the dierence of bringing younger people that are just starting to be in charge of the decisions that we are making in thworld right here in washington, d.c., to be interested in the arts, and he has brought that entertainment factor for those people to be interested in taking them out of the where we think ballet is. and when they come and see what we are up to, they are like, "wow! i never thought this was ballet." >> the city seems very receptive to new ideas, expanding the repertoire, expanding the connections with the audience, and really challenging the audiences and mixing it up a little bit. so,

yeah, i think that washington's been really receptive. >> many of septime's colleagues applaud his efforts and success in connecting the company to urban washingt through community outreach and also in creating diverse and theatrical programming, making ballet more accessible to washington, d.c., area youth. he started dance d.c., a program that offers free ballet classes to about 500 inner-city d.c. public school students, and several years ago, the ballet began offering classes at thearc, a multi-million dollar arts-and-education center in d.c.'s predominantly african-american anacostia neighborhood. >> i credit septime totally with crossing the river, with bringing the washington ballet to this city at large not just to the more privileged of the city but to really making dance accessible for every little human soul that wants to dance. >> onef the big goali had in coming to washington, d.c.,

was to connect t washington ballet to the cultural fabric of the city, and for us, that's meant crossing the anacostia river and developing a significant community engagement program in southeast washington, d.c. it's been incredibly gratifying to see kids from the district--all kinds of kids from the district, kids who would not know a thing about ballet, jumping in and enjoying and learning abouthemselves through this glorious arform. >> i think septime is the hope for the washington ballet. i think that he brings the hope of new promise for this city, not just to watch as a performing arts but to watch as an educational institution, to bring children into thisorld and into this world of understanding the humanity that pulses behind every work. >> webre's company represents his own eclectic background of both french and cuban descent with a core of talented and versatile dancers from cuba, puerto rico, dominican republic, colombia, and beyond.

his washington ballet productions often highlight his close-knit family upbringing and the varied contributions hispanics have made to america's culturally diverse arts landscape. >> dancing in "noche latina" was a great experience for me, especially because the music that was being used was cuban music in some of the pieces. being in a company where my director, um, has part of my heritage and is so interested in my culture and is so interested in bringing that to his choreography is something th is appealing to me. >> in hispanic cultures, we'll always have that extra factor of energy and show quality, and any performances that goes on, there's always that kind of factor, and he has brought it to the next leve >> i always think art is at its best when people can recognize themselves onstage, and i think that ballet should reflect the people that are in the

audience, so that means that the ballet has got to reflect what today's culture is about. and it's certainly about energy and athleticism and inveion and all of those really great qualities that have made our society so great. >> septime webre continues to make wonderful things happen and is a big part of the new image for washington, d.c.. a city that is full of leaders, webre with his maverick flair and can-do attitude has quickly become one of d.c.'s leading stakeholders and community activists. >> anyone would be lucky to haveeptime for a partner because it's like a holiday every day. you know, he comes in, and he says, "oh, guess who i talked t guess what's gonna happen, possibilities of tours to these countries." you know, the's ways something exciting happening, and really my job is to keep up with him. he's also someone who makes things happen. he'not just

somee who thinks of things or talks about them. he executes them, and when he's faced with a problem, he thinks immeately of a way to solve it. >> i'm immensely proud of the growth of the washington ballet, but the growth is a reflection of lots othings, including artistic growth on the part of the company itself and our school and our outreach programs, but also, really it takes a village, and so ere are hundreds and hdreds of supporters of the ballet, fundraisers, people who donate, patron supporters, and we're all linked together inhe success of the ballet, and those connections just propel us forward, i think. >> 8 years ago, seime and the washington ballet performed in havana, making them the first american ballet company to perform in cu in more than 40 years. for septime and his family, the trip was all the more historic because it gave them an opportunity to rediover their cultural homeland. comingp on

"hispanics today," her first job was homemaker, but the homes she makes these days are something to behold! we'll be right back. [ male announcer ] it's sunday afternoon.

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and then watch every red zoneplay on nfl redzone. watch out couch, you've got competition as daddy's favorite. it's time for fios. ca the verizon center for customers with disabilities at 800-974-6006 tty/v visit verizon.com/getfios. >> when she was just srting out in her adult life, everyone thought carmen dominguez had it made--doctor's wife, stay-at-home mom, but with her children grown, carmen realized she was missing something. she wanted a second career, and she found it--from homemaker to house-builder! >> while other professionals carmen dominguez's age may be approaching the twilight years of their careers, hers is just starting to blossom. carmen spent the early years of her adult life devoted entely to making a home and raising a family. only after her two daughters were grown and carmen had become an empty nester in

her early forties did she turn her energies and considerable passion toward a career to create her successful business, homes by carmen dominguez. one of the reasons for the company's success is carmen's ability to create a story for each of the custom homes that bear h name, famous for their timeless elegance. >> i needed to put all of that energy somewhere, and i decided just to do what i felt i knew how to do best, you know, and what i knew how to do best was to create what i consider is a perfect house because i lived in one, i raised children in one, you know, so it was one thing that always amazede how not many more women were involved in the construction buness as--guess what--you know, we are the ones that pretty much select the kind of house we wt. >> what makes her homes so successful is that from the core, from the beginning of building the home she was always looking to what she would have wanted in a house or

what being at home, raising her two kids at home, like, what woulshe have needed in her home. >> carmen garcia grew up in the seaside town of arecibo, puerto rico, the granddaughter of a well-to-do doctor and senator. he toted her arounto political meetings, public appearances, and private negotiations. carmen got her first taste of the entrepreneurial world at age 14 when she worked as a cashier for her father in his sugar cane business. she learned early the art of the deal. >> and i always say that i learned a lot of strategy by just listening to my grandfather when i was a young girl and going with him to meetings and political meetgs, and that was an amazing, amazing, amazing way of learning. >> since opening her doors for business in 1999, carmen has become a builder and a business leader of many firsts. in 2005, she was honored by the hispanic chamber of commerce of metro orlando with the prestigious don quijote award. in november

2006, she took the helm of the home builders association of metro orlando, becing both the first won and the first hispanic president to lead the group. that same year, she was selected by the national americ home builders association to build the new american home in an historic orlando neighborhood. this ultra-urban dwelling has given its visitors a glimpse into the future of green home-building. >> when i first joined the business, i definitely was passionate about the idea of building green houses, not only because i thought it was the right thing to do but because i felt like that was a way she could separate herself in the marketplace. she understood it right away and also, i think, simultaneously got on bod with this idea that we all need to work together to help protect the environment and that building green is our responsibility and just knowing that water is a resource and that protecting all of our resources was really important. >> i wl tell you that the first time she had that conversation with me i thought

that she had been in california way too long. you know, she moved from california. i was like, "what is she talking about?" however, what i did is i simply just sat down, i listened, i realized that her points were absolutely very important. >> just recently, "el nuevo constructor," the first and only spanish-language constructionrade magazine, named carmen builder of the year. through the years, carmen has credited her success and accomplishments to her uncanny ability of approaching her life in two different ways. >> my two brains is probably what i consider my best asset, and it is myest asset because i utilize my hispanic brain, you know, and i combine it with what i've learned from the american culture so it is a way that i have to describe the blending of the two cultures and utilizing the best of each.

>> carmen dominguez is a unique individual and has inspired many folks here in our community. our chaer of commerce, ich has now 1,300 members, many of them has been inspired by her story, by her leadership example. it's one of those individuals that has a high entrepreneurship spirit and very much has put to good use in our communi. >> buildinbig is carmen's plan for the future. recently, homes by carmen joined forces with the rey group; orlan based construction company, to create a new venture, carmen dominguez with rey homes >> we had talked about it in the past. 's an opportunity for us to learn what she has learned and what she has established building high-end, quality custom homes, and it's an oortunity for her firm to learn what we have learned in our world of production and efficiency of home-building and bring the two together. >> what impresses me the most is that carmen has been

tremendously successful in what ahs been typically considered a male-dinant industry, and sh has done that with grace and lots of preparation and leadership. >> but somehow, there was somebody else that set the stage in order for me to be able to be the first because what it does, it says to me, "you know, you have got to do this in a way so that other people have the opportunity to contie because somebody else did the work for you before in a different way." so i feel not only responsible, but i feel very humble by the opportunity. >> in a world of cookie cutter suburban houses, carmen is proud the homes she designs reflect her clients' individuality. you can check out me of her work on her web site... and now this week's "sabes que?" question: according to the most recent u.s. census report, homeownership rates

among hispanics have soared in the last decade... we'll have that answer coming up, and also ahead, for all you backyard gourmets who think your barbeque technique is special, take a look at this high-flying way to flavor a steak. we'll dig deep into the culinary secrets of carne seca.

>> welcome back to "hispanics today." here's the answ to our "sabes que?" question...

sabes que? according to the most recenu.s. census in 2000... in this country, we call it beef jerky, but connoisseurs of carne seca know there's much more to it than that. it's not enough to simply dry a piece of meat to shoe leaer consistency and hang it in plastic bags at the convenience store. the real secret of carne seca comes in the seasoning and preparation, and nobody does it with more style than the pioneers of this favorite dish in tucson, arizona. >> carne seca is the main dish of el char. it is a tast explosion that happens in your mouth. >> many foods served here are heated to perfection using ovens, but el arro's signature dish is truly something to write home about since it features the ancient cooking ingredient of the dry arizona he. >> first of all, we will take

the filet, and we have thinly sliced it, which is left with a little b of fat. marinate it in garlic and, of course, this already has a mixture of lime juice in it. this meat is then hung outside in a wire enclosed cage this way, and so it comes out after two days looking like a dried fat. it was a way of preservation. it really is beef jerky. >> it is really air-dried. it has really little to do with the sun, but the meat is put in an aluminum triangle cage with stainless rods that are sanitized before they hang the meat on it. the juice is the crucial thing because that keeps the meat from spoiling. the garlic keeps all the spirits away. no bugs of any kind. you don't ever see flies around the cages. i would imagine 100 years ago everybody did it that way becau you didn't have refrigerators. >> today, el charro takes pride in its detailed process and

claims it is the only u.s. restaurant making carne seca this way >> and this is a way of actuallyonserving and preserving this product. we just took it to a different level and without a doubt have been able to--i would almost say--expit it! >> that meat can be transported across the country in your pocket for days, and it won't spoil. >> out of the cage, the real cooking work begins. el chro almost burns the beef in extremely hot ovens to drain the remaining fat. from there, it is shredded, then kneaded by hand. in the browning process, virgin olive oil is sprayed in a very hot skillet, removing the moisture and magically transforming 3 pounds of beef into 9 pounds of carne seca. >> the trick is that she mus stand there for the full 15-20 minutes stirring the meat, o it will burn, and one little bit of burnt meat will impart that burnt flavor through th very fine meat, even though it is already cooked. we go ahead,

and we add green chili, the mato, and the onion, and we don't add them all together. we add them in stages with the tomato being the last one because you do not want it to get soggy on you. after have added this, it doesn't take but a flash to go ahead and let all of the flavors impart. you always think of mexican food as being taco, a tamale, an enchilada, but you never really think that something brown like that could taste so very, very good, d that is carne seca. >> in addition to the world-famous carne seca, el charro cafe was recently named by "usa today" thehome of the chimichanga." when we come back, we'll show you more of the exciting things we have in store for you here on "hispanics today."

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in one of our immediate response vehicles! what if mother won't let me drive? then you probably wouldn't have had an accident in the first place. and we're walkin'! and we're walkin'... making iall a bit easier -- now that's progressive! call or click today. >> welcome back to "hispanics today." we want to share with you some of the stories our producers are working to bring you in future shows. from coast to coast, american supermarket shoppers are familiar with goya's famous selection of canned goods, but for goya, it was not always easy to get its products on store shelves. we take you behind the scenes of this legendary canr of hispanic foods. and this latino entrepreneur is changing the lives of at-risk youth in philadelphia step by step literally! find out how hector serrano is using dance to reach young people once thought to be unreachable. we'll be right back after this break.

and as a progressive customer, you get to use any of our concierge claim centers. so i can just drop off my car anyou'll take care of everything? yep, even the rental what if i'm stuck at the office? if you can't come to us, we'll come to you in one of our immediate response vehicles! what if mother won't let me drive? then you probably wouldn't have had an accident in the first place. and we're walkin'! and we're walkin'... making it all a bit easier -- now that's progressive!

call or click today.

today." we want to remind you of our new web site www.hispanicstoday.com. from there, you can watch an archive of our past stories and keep up with current projes here on "hispanics today" or the united states hispanic chamber of commerce. if you have ideas or suggestions, we'd love to hear from you. e-mail us at... we hope to hear from you, and we hope to see you next week for another edition of "hispanics today." hasta la proxima vez.

this sunday from new york, a special edition of "meet the press." this morning, we kick off a week-ng commitment at nbc news to "education nation." we will try to cut to the cor of the crisis in public education. this weekend's opening of the emotion documentary, "waiting for superman" is a powerful reminder that too many schools

are failing our children, and america's competitiveness is suffering as a result. are resources the answer? facebook founder mark zuckerburg announced he'll donate $100 million to newark, new jersey's schools. how do we make sure theest teachers are in the classroom? what forms are working? and what can each one of us do to help? our discussion with around duncan, leading reformer and chancellor of washington, d.c. schools, michelle rhee,randi weingarten, president of the federation of teachers. and robert bobb, emergency financial manager of detroit and robert bobb, emergency financial manager of detroit public schools captions pd for by nbc-universal television 0. but first, to politics and the divided congress.

what will republicans do in power? this week, republican leaders in the house unveiled their pledge to america, campaign manifesto that's the 2010 version of t gop's contract with america from 1994. the highlights -- extend the bush tax cuts, cut spending, and repeal health care reform. >> our pledge to america is that the republicans stand ready to get it done and beginning today. >> but the question is, are these new ideas or more of the same? here to debate that question among others, one of the architects of the republican pledge, the chairman of the house republican congress, representative -- representative mike pence of indiana. he's here in new york. and the man responsible for electing democrats of the house this fall. the chairman of the democratic campaign committee, chris van hollen of maryland. welcome to bo of you to "meet the press." here in new york. congressman pence, glad to be with us on the breezy set this

morning. we'll get to that. i want to get to the pledge and the thought that this is new ideas or not. i want to start on the narrow issue of tax cuts. the big tax cut debate that's part of the midterm campaign, we know congressman van hollen that the senate has kicked off the decision, kicked it back i should say, to after the elections to takeon whether or not the bush tax cuts should be extended. what will the house do on this imrtant question? > well, david, the house will vote before these t cuts expire at the end of the year. whether we vote before the election or not is something we'll take a look at. i want to be very clear as to what the stakes are here. because what the republicans have said is that they're going to hold tax relief for 98 of the american people hostage until th can get permanent tax breaks for the top 2%. even though that would blow a 700 billion hole in the deficit something that would be added to the credit cards of our children and grandchildren, and slow down economic growth and

jobs going forward. >> but what about the timing? you s it's probably not until after the election. i talked to economists, read their words this week who say the longer you wait, the more uncertainty. why not put it to a vote before the midterms. >> we are absolutely going to get it done before the end of the year. e may well take it up before the midterms. but as you heard from mitch mcconnell, the senate republican leader, they are insisting on holding the tax cuts for most f the american people hostage until they get the breaks for the very top. we don't think we should be adding $700 billon to our deficit. that's fiscally reckless and a time when we need to be imposing fiscal discipline, we should not be adding red ink that will have to be picked up by others and put us more in hyok to china and other countries. >> you can take on the substance to that. but talk about the timing. this is where the news is. should the house take this up before the midterm vote? >> there's no question that there should be no higher

priority for the congress in the united states today than making sure that no american sees a tax increase in january of 2011, not one. i -- i have t tell you, this -- for all of the world, seems like a moment where congress is putting politics ahead of prosrity. you know, what they're proposing hee, even if -- even if they found some way to just extend middle class tax relief, would be an enormous tax increase in january on job creators in this country. higher taxes won't get people higher. raising taxes on job creators won't create jobs. the american people know that. let me say one last thing. i think it would be unconscionae for this congress todjourn without giving the bipartisan majority in the congress who want to extend all current tax relief an up or down vote. >> a key question. >> hold on, congressmapp. i want to ask this key question. in this pledge to america that -- that we'll talk about

in -- in gater detail in a ment, is this commitment to bringing down the deficit as well as extending the tax cut. how do you answer the charge from democrats, from the prident as well, that you don't have a way to pay for extending the tax cuts, yet you're coitted to deficit reduction. >> in the pledge to america which i look forward to chatting about, we say, look, we've got to do something to get the economy moving again. we give real and meaningful proposa to begin the process of reining in runaway federal spending for both political parties and reforming the government. >> how do you pay for the tax cuts? >> job one needs to be to create jo. the ameran people know the last thing you want to do is inn the worst economy in 25 years is raise taxes on small business and family farmers. we have vote on an up or down vote. more than 30 democrats support extending all of the current tax relief. we're calling on speaker pelosi

and leaders like chris, give us an up or downvote, let the congress work its will and give the american people certainty there will be no tax increase. >> the notion that mike is talking about that you need the tax breaks at the top to create jobs and economic expansion -- mike, those tax rates are in effect right now. they're in effect right now. i don't see all of the job creation as a result of the tax cuts. they've been in effect for nine years. at the end of the nine years, we've seen losses of millions of jobs. so this -- this story that somehow those breaks for the very folks at the top creates the jobs is just nonsense. and i want to make one other point. because they -- >> hold on, hold on. >> one other point. they tried to mask this as an issue with small businesses. well, it turns out that only 2% of small businesses are affected. and when you look at the definition of small businesses, you find that they're big hedge funds, big washington lobbying firms, kkr, pricewaterhouse.

because of the definition of a tax code, anything that's an s corporation qualifies. mike tell us whether he believes that kkr, whether pricewaterhouse, whether those are the kinds of smll businesses that need help. that's the folks they're trying to help out. >> i want to ask a different question about taxes. >> want to respond to that. he makes a good poi. if the current tax relief was enough to get this economy moving again, the economy would be moving. and it's not. what -- what chris and the democts in congressnd the administration continue to insist on is a tax increase in january of 2011. i want to stipulate to the point. that's why republicans in the "pledge to america" called for the 20% business deduction on all buiness income immediately be voted on in this congress. we think there needs to be more pro growth tax relief. don't raise taxes on j creators. >> let me ask you a question about tax cuts or tax hiks. you say in the pledge to america, you want to bring spending down to 2008 levels

which you well know is not enough to tackle the deficit, even if you bring it down to 2008. so the question for you and congressman van hollen, how can you rule out tax hikes as we move forward if you want to get serious about tackling the deficit? >> number one, i think you rule out x increases because our problemsn't that the american people are taxed too little. our problem is that washington spends too much. in the pledge to america, we call for cutting discretionary spending to prestimulus, prebailout levels. cutting the amount of funding allocated to congress, freezing all pay on nonsecurity federal employees, ending federal control ofreddie mae ac and fannie mae. that would save $1 trillion in ten years alone. reducing the discretionary limits, that would save $100 billion this year. >> that doesn't tackle the deficit completely. congressman van hollen, the question for you and demrats,

can you allow tax hikes as we ove forward to be serious about cutting the deficit? >> i didn't hear the question. >> can you rule out tax increases, t just for the wealthiest americans, but for the midd class if we're going to get serious about dealing with the deficit? >> well, yeah, we think it would be a big mistake to raise taxes on 98% of the american people. and i want to go back to this point that mike raised about small businesses. the president and the democrats proposed tax cuts for small businesses to stimulate new activi activity. the president said let's pvide a writeoff for investments made between no and 2011. what was interesting is they had this big ceremony for the pledge at a small business site. witn hours, they came bk to the hill and voted against the small business lending bill which in addition to increasing access to credit for small businesses, contained significant tax cuts. and senator voinovich, who's a retiring republican senator, said it's time for the republicans to stop pling

politics when the american people are hurting. now, i hope they will begin to do that. because they violated their pledge within hours about cutting taxes to small businesses. >> you know, as you go back to 1994, congressman pence, in was the contract with america. and one of the big issues if you go back even to interviews i've done with republican leaders, the after the election of president obama was that this wanted to be the party of new ideas. >> right. >> and, inact, this pledge has been criticizedi for being anything but new. where satire is most effective, jon stewart of "the dai show" this week raised this issue by comparing some of what was said in 1998 by the speaker -- who was to be speaker, john boehner, to what he said in unveiling the pledge. this is what it loos like. >> smaller. >> smaller. >> less costly. >> less costly. >> and more accountable. >> accountable. >> government. government. >> in our tion's. >> capital.

>> i don't know -- i don't know what to say. this thing is not a sequel. a shot-by-shot remake. i thought the pledge was you were humble. and going to come back with fresh new ideas. wasn't that the pledge? >> so what's new here? >> well,ending bailouts and cutting spending in washington, d.c. is a new idea, david. and the truth is, look, republicans didn't lose our majority in 2006, we lost our way. we walked away from the principles of fiscal discipline and reform that minted our governing majority back in1980 and again in 1994. and the american people walked away from us. what we have in this proposal is not necessarily new -- the idea of fiscal responsibility, pro growth policies, openness and transparency in government are

solid americ ideas. what republicans are committing to in the pledge for america is taking important first steps in this congress to stee our national government back to the basic practices. >> congressman van hollen, do you agree? is this a return to core principles or is this a rehash? oh. >> this is a rehash. a recycling of the bush economic agenda. a new front page. otherwise, this is a xerox copy. the whole answer to everything seems to be give the folks at the top a tax break and they want to undo of the regulations and reforms on wall street. i mean, the problems on wall street led to catastrophe around the country. millions of people lost their jobs. and they'rtrying to do what lobbyists tried very hard to do butdidn't succeed which is to say let's put those guys back in charge. it is a return to the bush economic agenda. there's no doubt about it. >> let me follow up on this. >> congressman -- let me follow up on th point, which i where

do you think this is a credible economic argument. you voted against t.a.r.p. you opposed the stimulus, as did other republican leaders. and economists who looked at his from both sides of the aisle, news week who's a more conservative columnist on economic matters said the aggressive actions taken going back to t.a.r.p. and fall hoed through by this administration most definitely had an impact on gdp, on thefact that we don see unemployment approaching 16%. is it credible for republicans to ask for the vote this november when effectively, you would have let the financial system teter off the edge of a cliff? >> look, republicans weren't prepared to let the financial system teter off a cliff. >> what would have happened if you had not had t.a.r.p.? >> we took $700 billion to main street and transferring to wall street was a profodly bad idea. >> who was the system -- >> republicans haed a proposal. it was a backstop, not a

handout. we could have worked out this. as a lot of the postmortem analysis suggested we could. look this, is not a choice between the faed economic policies of the present and the iled economic policies of the past. i know that the democrats want to frame it tat way. what republicans are saying is we have to get back. we have to end the era of borrowing and spending and bailouts and government takeovers. we have to repeal obama care lock, stop, and barrel. oppose the cap in ade schemes and get back to the fiscal responsibility and the kind of choice that make america strong again. >> name me one choice that they'll stand by if they want to reduce the deficit and rein in spending. where's the painful choice you'll make. >> never thought you ask. >> cut the discretionary spending. >> on what? reduce government employment back down to 2008 levels. that's $35 billion over ten. we could eliminate government

programs like -- >> like the -- what about entitlement spending. raise the retirement age as john boehner suggested would be a good idea on social security. >> the last time i was onhe program, we keep our promises to seniors. but for amecans under the age of 40, we have to begin to reform medicare and social security inays that will ensure its long-term fiscal solitude. let me assure you, the pledge to merica is not the end all be all. it's meant to be a good start. >> what about president clinton who said this week on msnbc, perhaps the democrats need a pledge of their own. hey ne a card with ree or five of the top points that they're going to campaign on. what would those be for democrats in the fall? do you take hi advice? >> democrats have set out what their plans are. we're going to continue as the president has said to focus on providing relief to small business going forward. we have a bill coming to the floor of the house this week that i hope mike pence and his colleagues will join us on to make sure that we are not put in

a competitive disadvantage by the chinese currency manipulation. we're going to continue focus on clean energy jobs and incentives for clean energy. and we're going to continue to focus on the economy. and i have to say, when you look at the republican so-called pledge, you find a lot of phony numbers. let me give you an example. we say they're going to save $16 billion to get rid of t.a.r.p. mike, we voted to get rid of t.a.r.p. already. it was part ofhe wall street reform bill that the republicans opposed. that bill terminated t.a.r.p. in this pledge, they're pretending to find savings from shutting down something wve already shut down. that's the kind of thing that people are tired of. ear marks, they made the talk of ending ear marks. we reormed the ear mark process. no more earmarks that distort the private market by going to for profit private entities. noa word in there about that.

i assume they'regoing to go back to their old ways when they quadrupled the earmarks. it's hard to take seriously given the record here. it's thsame old same old. >> the republicans refused to request any earmarks this year whatsoever. we've imposed the self-posed moratorium on ear marks and we're going to end earmarking as we know it. >> i'm going to lave that part of it. ten seconds left. congressman van hollen, you're in charge of getting democrats elect in the house. howad will november be? >> democrats are going to do well we're going to keep the majority because of the choice we talked about here. they said they were listening to the american people. one of the biggest recommendations was to end the perverse ta breaks that encourage offshoring, outsourcing of american jobs. we've closed down some of those loopholes. we're going to continue to do it. not a word about the outsourcing problem in america about that pledge. not one word in 46 pages. those are the kinds of choices

the people are focusing on in this election. >> we'll leave it there. the debate will continue as we move forward in this campaign. congressman pence, congressman van hollen, thanks so much. >> okay. up next ehere in new york, we kick off the week-long commitment to "edution nation." how can we best reform our school system and make america competitive again? special discussion with secretary of education arne duncan. inn d.c. school chancellor michelle rhee, randi weingarten, and the emergency financial manager of detroit public schools, robert bobb. only here on "meet the press." during its first year, the humpback calf and its mother are almost inseparable. sh lifts her calf to its first breath of air, then protects it on the long journey

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and we are back live from 30 rockefeller plaza in new york to kick off nbc's ducation nation." it's our week-long look the state of our country's education system. joining me now, four key voices in the struggle to improve public k through 12 education, the emergency financial manager of the detroit public schools, robert bobb, the chancellorof washington, d.c. schools, michelle rhee, the secretary of education, arne duncan, and randi weingarten, the president of the american federation of teachers.

welcome to all of you. a commitment by nbc news to explore it this week. we begin now. with getting all of t buzz right now in the reform movement of this film, "waiting for superman" debuting this weekend, i want to play a portion of it that talks about huge challenge we face, one of the disturbing facts in our education system as they show in the movie. >> since the 1970s, u.s. schools have failed to kep pace with the rest of the world. among 30 developed countries, we ranked 25th in ma to 21st in science. the top 5% of our students are our very best ranked 23rd out of 29 developed countries. almost every category we've fallen behind. >> and look at a snapshot from our new nbc new "wall street journal" poll on the question of education in terms of the public view of how education is. 77% in our poll give our public schools a c grade or lower. and in terms of t