The brutality of the pace. This was my third presidential campaign and it was a thousand times faster paced than my first one in 2004. The news cycle is constant and there has been an explosion in the number of news outlets covering them. As as result we're witnessing news and entertainment melding together to create what I'd describe as the "American Idolization" of campaigns and politics.

Oftentimes when you have the federal government or others step in and start to raise minimum wage, what happens is you take away or reduce some people's opportunity to grab the bottom rung of the economic ladder to get the opportunities and the skills that you need to move up that economic ladder.

Trying is not enough. We have to go out and set goals and measure definitive progress so that four years from now we are in a better position to add new voters to our base of support.

The brutality of the pace. This was my third presidential campaign and it was a thousand times faster paced than my first one in 2004. The news cycle is constant and there has been an explosion in the number of news outlets covering them. As as result we're witnessing news and entertainment melding together to create what I'd describe as the "American Idolization" of campaigns and politics.

Obama microtargeted his way to re-election by pitting Americans against each other in many instances. In order to confront the challenges the nation faces, he's really going to have to put his 2008 rhetoric about bringing people together into practice. Otherwise his legacy will only be that of a great campaigner whose promises fell short of accomplishment.

Without hesitation, each time, my answer was our standing with Hispanics and Latinos. We must do a better job of reaching out to these communities and demonstrate to them that our party is aligned with the aspirations Hispanics have for their families and for America.

We did a lot right with the voters with whom we’ve enjoyed traditional support. But we haven’t done enough to build a larger coalition of voters. We have to modernize our message to reach a larger audience of voters beyond our base.