Meet the Press interviews during 2015: on Principles & Values

John Kasich: Need to promote Western values to win war of ideas

KASICH: The Western ethic, what is it about? It's about life, it's about equality of women, it's about the freedom of religion. I'm not talking about going to church. I proposed some time ago a comprehensive plan to deal with ISIS, including boots on the ground, a coalition including Arabs, etc. But we have to also engage in the battle of ideas when we have many people looking for meaning in life somewhere other than Western civilization.

Q: One of the criticisms, though, is that you're making a clash of civilizations argument.

KASICH: We want to agree and work together with people who share the view that the path to murder does not get you to paradise. When we win the military battle, what comes next? What we've got to make sure of is that we stop the radicalization of people.

Jeb Bush: Negotiate with Dems to get things done

BUSH: How are we going to solve these problems? There's no way. I mean, all the big issues in American history have been solved by a strong president working across the aisle unifying the country. We now have a divider-in-chief who pushes people down that disagree with him.

Q: You don't think your party's been divisive too?

BUSH: It has. I admit that.

Bernie Sanders: Social change cannot occur without mass participation

SANDERS: This is what you do. You say to the speaker of the House, "Hey, you don't want to negotiate with me? I think we should make public colleges and universities tuition free. And I think we should pay for a tax on Wall Street speculation." Now, do I think the Republican speaker of the House will agree with me? No, I don't think so. But I think he'll have to look out the window and see a million young people demonstrating and marching in Washington.

Q: Barack Obama said this.

SANDERS: Here's the difference. The president actually thought that he could sit down with the Republican leadership and work out some fair compromises. The truth is, number one, they never had any intention to compromise. But number two, you have to be prepared to mobilize people to take on these big money interests.

Bernie Sanders: I'm not a capitalist; I'm a democratic socialist

SANDERS: No, not at all. When one of your Republican colleagues gets on the show, do you say, "Are you a capitalist?" Have you ever referred to them as capitalists?

Q: Yeah. Are you a capitalist?

SANDERS: No. I'm a democratic socialist.

Ben Carson: A Muslim president would not stay true to American values

CARSON: Well, I guess it depends on what that faith is. If it's inconsistent with the values and principles of America, then of course it should matter. But if it fits within the realm of America and consistent with the constitution, no problem.

Q: So do you believe that Islam is consistent with the constitution?

CARSON: No, I do not. I would not advocate that we put a Muslim in charge of this nation. I absolutely would not agree with that.

John Kasich: For the presidency. qualifications trump personal religion

KASICH: We need to respect our basic institutions, whether it's the presidency, teachers, our ministers, or our rabbis. We need to have great respect or the country begins to come undone. And so, I may not agree with the president, but I respect the office, and I respect the fact that he is the president of the United States.

Q: Would you ever have a problem with a Muslim becoming president?

KASICH: You know, I mean, that's such a hypothetical question. The answer is, at the end of the day, you've got to go through the rigors, and people will look at everything. But, for me, the most important thing about being president is you have leadership skills, you know what you're doing, and you can help fix this country and raise this country. Those are the qualifications that matter to me.

Bobby Jindal: Uncompromising GOP leadership in DC to make real change

Bobby Jindal: We must stop viewing ourselves as being separated by race

Lindsey Graham: Supported removal of battle flag following shooting

A: If you'd asked me the day before the attack, I would've said, "The compromise worked," we took the flag off the top of the dome, moved it by the war memorial, built an African American monument, that worked for most South Carolinians. But after the shooting, it didn't work. My state will never be able to move forward after this shooting if we don't take the flag down. The people at the AME church, the families of the victims changed everything by their grace, by their love, by their forgiveness, making it impossible for a guy like me to say, "Keep the flag up."

Q: When you see the flag now, do you see a symbol of hate or heritage?

A: After this shooting, and after the call for it to be taken down by the families of the victims, I see it as a road block to the future of my state. I see it being in a museum, where people can look at it any way they want.

Ben Carson: Personal religion important, but it's not the law

CARSON: I find a very good measure of correlation between my religious beliefs and my scientific beliefs. People say, "How can you be a scientist, how can you be a surgeon if you don't believe in certain things?" You know, I'm always willing to sit down and discuss things. And people who say, "Well, you have to believe this and you have to believe that," I'm willing to discuss with them why they believe what they believe, and why I believe what I believe. A person's religious beliefs are the things that make them who they are, give them a direction in their life. But I do not believe that religious beliefs should dictate one's public policies and stances. And our laws that we enforce have nothing to do with our own personal beliefs. They have to do with the Constitution of this country.