2024 SPECIAL IN PARTNERSHIP WITH THE NEW HAMPSHIRE INSTITUTE OF POLITICS, CONVERSATION WITH THE CANDIDATE AND NOW FORMER CONGRESSMAN MIKE ROGERS. GOOD EVENING AND WELCOME TO OUR CONVERSATION WITH THE CANDIDATES SERIES. I’M ADAM SEXTON. OUR GUEST THIS EVENING IS REPUBLICAN MIKE ROGERS. TONIGHT, WE’LL BE GETTING TO KNOW THE FORMER CONGRESSMAN AND WHERE HE STANDS ON KEY ISSUES. OF COURSE, AT THE START OF OUR SHOW, I’LL BE ASKING SOME QUESTIONS. AND THEN AFTER A BREAK, WE’LL HAVE OUR STUDIO AUDIENCE ASK THEIR QUESTIONS. IN A TOWN HALL FORMAT. BUT BEFORE WE BEGIN WITH THAT, LET’S TAKE A QUICK LOOK AT CONGRESSMAN ROGERS BIOGRAPHY. FORMER CONGRESSMAN MIKE ROGERS WAS BORN IN LIVINGSTON COUNTY, MICHIGAN, GRADUATED FROM HOWELL HIGH SCHOOL, AND THEN ADRIAN COLLEGE. ROGERS REPRESENTED MICHIGAN’S EIGHTH DISTRICT FOR 14 YEARS DURING THAT TIME, HE CHAIRED THE POWERFUL HOUSE PERMANENT SELECT COMMITTEE ON INTELLIGENCE AUTHORIZING AND OVERSEEING THE $70 BILLION BUDGET THAT FUNDS THE COUNTRY’S 17 INTELLIGENCE AGENCIES. ROGERS FOCUSED MUCH OF HIS EFFORTS IN CONGRESS ON COUNTERTERRORISM AND NATIONAL SECURITY POLICY. SINCE LEAVING CONGRESS, HE HAS ADVISED MULTIPLE AMERICAN COMPANIES ON CYBER SECURITY ISSUES. HOSTED A SHOW ON CNN AND REGULARLY CONTRIBUTES TO MAJOR PRINT OUTLETS. ROGERS IS A FORMER FBI AGENT AND COMMISSIONED OFFICER IN THE U.S. ARMY. HE SAYS IF HE WERE TO GET INTO THE PRESIDENT RACE, HE WOULD RUN A, QUOTE, MORE CIVIL SOLUTIONS ORIENTED CAMPAIGN. HE IS MARRIED TO KRISTI ROGERS. THEY HAVE TWO CHILDREN. FORMER CONGRESSMAN ROGERS, THANKS FOR JOINING US ON CONVERSATION WITH THE CANDIDATE. ADAM, IT’S GREAT TO BE HERE. THANKS FOR HAVING ME. APPRECIATE YOUR TIME. SO THE COUNTRY IS DIVIDED AND ONE OF THE GREAT LAMENTS WE HEAR FROM SO MANY PEOPLE, THOSE REGULAR VOTERS OUT ON THE STREET, THEY JUST WONDER WHY DOES IT HAVE TO BE SO NEGATIVE? WHAT CAN THE NEXT PRESIDENT DO, IF ANYTHING, TO CHANGE THAT? I THINK YOU HAVE TO THE NEXT PRESIDENT’S GOING TO ABSOLUTELY HAVE TO FOCUS ON PROBLEMS. AND ONE OF THE ONLY REASONS WE’RE OUT KICKING TIRES, IF YOU WILL, IS WE HAVE SOME MAJOR PROBLEMS FACING THIS COUNTRY AND OUR POLITICS DON’T SEEM BIG ENOUGH TO HANDLE THEM. WHEN YOU THINK ABOUT WHAT CHINA IS GETTING READY TO DO AND IS ALREADY DOING TO THE UNITED STATES, IT PUTS US AT A COMPETITIVE DISADVANTAGE FOR THE NEXT GENERATION. ECONOMIC PROSPERITY. WHAT WE’RE DOING ON SPENDING, WHAT WE’RE DOING ON ALMOST EVERY SINGLE ISSUE THAT YOU CAN NAME DOWN THE LIST THAT WE’RE NOT DEALING WITH, INCLUDING LITERACY. YOU KNOW, OUR EIGHTH GRADERS LAST YEAR COULDN’T READ AT THE EIGHTH GRADE BY ALMOST TWO THIRDS OF THOSE STUDENTS. AND SO WHEN YOU LOOK AT CHINA TEACHING EIGHTH GRADERS QUANTUM MECHANICS, WE’RE TEACHING OUR KIDS APPARENTLY NOT TO READ VERY WELL. WE HAVE SOME COMPETITIVE ISSUES AND SMALL POLITICS ISN’T GOING TO SOLVE THAT. IF WE FOCUS ON BIG ISSUES, THE BIG PROBLEM OF CHINA, THE BIG PROBLEM ON OUR ECONOMY, WE’RE GOING TO I THINK IT’S EASIER FOR AMERICANS TO COME COME TOGETHER TO SOLVE THOSE BIG PROBLEMS. IS THAT GOING TO BE A STYLISTIC THING? OBVIOUSLY, EVERY POLICY DEBATE IS GOING TO GET VITRIOLIC THESE DAYS. PROBABLY. BUT WHAT CAN THE NEXT PRESIDENT DO TO TAKE THE TEMPERATURE DOWN A LITTLE BIT, MAYBE? WELL, WHEN I WAS CHAIRMAN, I WORKED IN A BIPARTISAN WAY. I KNOW THAT’S SOMETIMES A DIRTY WORD, BUT WE ACTUALLY GOT IMPORTANT THINGS DONE IN THE NATIONAL SECURITY FEAR FIELD FOR OUR COUNTRY. I WORKED WITH A GUY WHOSE NAME WAS DUTCH RUPPERSBERGER, DEMOCRAT FROM BALTIMORE, MARYLAND. GREAT GUY TO WORK WITH. WE UNDERSTOOD NATIONAL SECURITY IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN OUR PARTY AND WE’RE GOING TO HAVE TO WE’LL FIND SOME AGREEMENT. DIDN’T MEAN WE ALWAYS AGREED, BUT IT DID MEAN WE FOUND AGREEMENT. I THINK AMERICANS ARE READY TO STEP UP TO THIS CHALLENGE THAT CHINA PRESENTS. AND THE WAY THAT I THINK YOU GET AMERICANS TOGETHER IS CHALLENGE THEM WITH THE FACTS AND THEN OFFER REAL SOLUTIONS AND SAY, COME ON IN, YOU GOT A BETTER IDEA? BELIEVE ME, I’D LISTEN TO IT BECAUSE I DON’T THINK WE HAVE A LOT OF TIME TO WASTE TO MAKE SURE AMERICAN MAINTAINS ITS PLACE IN THE WORLD. IF YOU DO GET INTO THIS RACE, WHAT’S GOING TO BE YOUR STRATEGY TO DEAL WITH THE CURRENT REPUBLICAN FRONTRUNNER, FORMER PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP, OR I HONESTLY DON’T BELIEVE THAT DONALD TRUMP IS GOING TO BE THE CANDIDATE IN 2024. THIS IS A LONG TIME. I KNOW HE’S OUT THERE. THERE’S LOTS OF ISSUES THAT HE’S GOING TO HAVE. I KEEP TELLING FOLKS, LISTEN, IT’S TIME THAT WE MOVE ON FROM WHERE WE ARE. I MEAN, THINK ABOUT IT A BIT. PRESIDENT BIDEN JUST ANNOUNCED YOU HAVE THE TWO MOST UNPOPULAR PRESIDENTS IN MODERN HISTORY RUNNING AGAINST EACH OTHER IN A COUNTRY OF 330 MILLION PEOPLE. I JUST THINK PEOPLE ARE READY FOR SOMETHING DIFFERENT. THEY’RE READY FOR AN ADULT IN THE ROOM TO SAY, HEY, HERE’S A BIG PROBLEMS. HEY, WE CAN’T READ. WE SPEND TOO MUCH MONEY. THE ECONOMY IS GOING IN THE TANK, A RECESSION IS LOOMING. WE HAVE REAL THINGS WE NEED TO DO FOR AVERAGE PEOPLE TRYING TO PUT FOOD ON THEIR TABLE AND GAS IN THE TANK. AND SO LET’S HAVE THOSE CONVERSATIONS ABOUT WHAT THOSE SOLUTIONS LOOK LIKE, INCLUDING EVERYTHING FROM THE BORDER TO EVERY HOT BUTTON ISSUE WEEK. YOU CAN MENTION. THERE ARE GREAT CREATIVE SOLUTIONS THAT AREN’T GETTING IN THIS NORMAL, YOU KNOW, HAMSTER ON THE WHEEL THAT WE SEE NOW IN POLITICS EVERY 2 TO 4 YEARS. TRUMP HAS A VISCERAL CONNECTION WITH THE REPUBLICAN BASE. CAN YOU REALLY BREAK THAT GRIP WITH AN INTELLECTUAL ARGUMENT? WELL, I’VE LISTEN, PEOPLE UNDERSTAND HOW INTELLECTUAL IT IS. THEY UNDERSTAND THEIR KIDS AREN’T READING IN SCHOOL. SOMETHING IS HAPPENING IN THEIR SCHOOLS. WE HAVE A MENTAL HEALTH ISSUE LIKE WE’VE NEVER SEEN BEFORE. ONE IN THREE TEENAGE GIRLS IN 2021 CONTEMPLATED SUICIDE. PEOPLE AREN’T SIGNING UP FOR GOVERNMENT SERVICE OR SERVICE IN THE UNITED STATES MILITARY IN HUGE NUMBERS OR NUMBERS ARE WAY OFF. SOMETHING’S HAPPENING. SO WE CAN CONTINUE TO TALK ABOUT ISSUES THAT THAT ARE. I CALL IT SUGAR HIGH POLITICS. OR WE CAN START FOCUSING ON THINGS THAT WE KNOW AND FAMILIES KNOW ARE IMPACTING THEIR LIVES. WHAT WE FOUND ON THE CAMPAIGN TRAIL OR NOT, THE CAMPAIGN TRAIL, BUT THE KICKING OF THE TIRED TRAIL, IF YOU WILL, IN PLACES LIKE IOWA, NEW HAMPSHIRE AND SOUTH CAROLINA IS PEOPLE ARE READY TO HAVE THOSE CONVERSATIONS. AND A LOT OF THEM DIDN’T UNDERSTAND THE BREADTH OF THE PROBLEM. AND THEN WHAT CHINA IS DOING TO US, THEY’RE READY TO SAY, HEY, LET’S GET AT THIS PROBLEM. YOU MENTIONED EDUCATION, AND THERE’S AN INTENSE FOCUS THESE DAYS ON CURRICULA AND WHAT EXACTLY KIDS ARE BEING TAUGHT IN SCHOOLS. IS IT ENOUGH FOR PARENTS THESE DAYS TO ESTABLISH A GOOD RELATIONSHIP WITH THE TEACHERS OR ADMINISTRATORS, OR DO THEY NEED MORE EXPANSIVE LEGAL RIGHTS AT THE FEDERAL LEVEL? WELL, PARENTS MUST BE INVOLVED IN THEIR CHILDREN’S EDUCATION, AND THIS WHOLE DEBATE COULD BE SETTLED BY AGE APPROPRIATE MATERIAL. AND THEN WE NEED PARENTS ENGAGED. REMEMBER NOW LAST YEAR, HALF OF HALF OF HIGH SCHOOL SENIORS COULDN’T READ AT THE SIXTH GRADE LEVEL. THIS IS THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. IN 2023, WE WE THAT IS AN UNSUSTAINABLE NUMBER. THAT MEANS THE UNITED STATES IS GOING NOWHERE FAST AND CHINA IS GOING SOMEWHERE IN A HURRY. AND SO WE’VE GOT TO CHANGE THAT DYNAMIC. ONE WAY TO DO THAT IS GET PARENTS MORE INVOLVED IN SCHOOLS, NOT LESS. MORE INVOLVED IN THEIR CHILDREN’S EDUCATION. NOT LESS. GIVE CHILDREN CHOICES. AND BY THE WAY, READING RECLAMATION IS SOMETHING THAT SHOULD AND WOULD BE A PRIORITY OF MINE. WE CAN GET KIDS READING AT GRADE LEVEL AND FUNDAMENTAL CHANGE THEIR LIFE AND THEIR TRAJECTORY. ALL RIGHT. FORMER CONGRESSMAN ROGERS, YOU MADE IT THROUGH THE EASY PART, BUT THE GANTLET OF THE NEW HAMPSHIRE VOTERS AWAITS. SO HANG TIGHT. COMING UP AFTER THE BREAK, WE’LL BRING OUR STUDIO AUDIENCE INTO THIS CONVERSATION. STAY WITH US.