i'm tremendously flattered. i don't think that's where my strengths are. i'm here to talk about these issues and try to cultivate leaders. what i'm trying to suggest is every one of us has to see this as not a burden but as our responsibility. we can't just wait for someone to emerge to say i will be the leader, i will be the spokesperson. i say no, it's not me. it's all of us. it's every one of us. it's a shared, common cause. >> this is the cover of the book. it's called "yellow." and our guest has been frank ..

>> of the book is called a

week in december. saturday, december 3rd. are read my family room of an expensive shopping mall in moscow. the snow is the eighth. the city feels it is in permanent darkness. we set for the garmin at this city's center does little to change the feeling brian m. struck by the giant eliminated structure. some calls a the billboard but it would not do justice to its scale. sitting atop a two-story building and appears taller than the building. back with and eliminated around the edges as the king kong digital photo frame. inside to look pass each other over a gigantic caption united russia. together we will wind.

tomorrow is the parliamentary election. today is all day of silence. of campaigning is band. i pull o her the intersection and take a picture and it is on facebook and elicited 17 comments. all lot to workday seven night. this is not the it normal friends. you would think we have seen worse. it makes you want to throw up. i have not voted in a parliamentary election for more than a dozen years because putin is logged under elections meaningless. nobody else could get on the ballot without approval and no longer direct did they stretch approval but the couple months ago when a group of liberal writers and

activists called on people to go to the polls to raid did obscenity. the deferent made a mockery of the elections but he cannot to outfox the senate. we need an alternative like a reason to approach. in the back-and-forth that followed people who had actual reasons to go upholsterer co to make sure the party did not vote to in your name. second to vote for the opposition parties so united majority russia did not man in parliament. these went viral. having heard this on elections my girlfriend is a principal voter. did i dream? are you going to go? >> yes. i cannot explain it does something is afoot to.

over the last few days i had several discussions with my friends. we try to decide which to fix in dozens of people who were trained as observers spending tamara at the polls and people discuss my facebook page as if they cared. sunday december 4 per cargo to the polls one half-hour before they close of day can catch the alexian these red handed. but no. neither i nor my a grandmother had voted. nor do i observe any violations. i cast my vote to and posted

to facebook and then go to a birthday party. book publishing people and designers and one about the manufacturer my friend seems to know everybody. every by the talks about the election. i voted for the first time in my life. after a while it is predictable. anyone would utter the phrase of the minutes of blockade through the door. with tales of violations. officials who removed observers. we will find that many forged final tallies with no regard to the balance. nine of this is news but what is new the treetop about this late into the night and real voted and

something else. and also included the schoolteacher, businessman's wife and others who are not like us. something has shifted and not just the media junkie. what will it take for people to go to the streets? asking those gathered in the kitchen. >> i don't know but something is there. monday december 5th. driving kids to school listening to returns, united russia has under 50% of the vote. this is not accurate but considerably lower than the previous parliamentary election when united rash of was 66%. maybe the numbers are so low that they thought they could

take insofar. also, some things resisted altogether the pressure to cook the members. there was no major voting procedures except six. then united russia was in second with 23% trailing the communist party. it seems it was representative of the official count doubled the real one. also 41% of eligible voters took part far more than any recent election. a protest is planned. i plan to go. the way it works implantable two-stage day public rally past two notify the authorities 15 days in advance. they can deny permission and

they could be arrested and roughed up. if granted the police will mark off space for the expected number of participants and the metal detector. sometimes unpleasant search procedures than hold the rally literally talking to themselves. hide dislike the legal gathering as i feel i must go. this is one of the times. my friend has a quote from the "new york times" article. she now lives in a keg that says democracy in action from the headquarters she adds if it was not so sad it would be funny. something is afoot but not going anywhere.

still unseasonably warm. temperature around freezing and pouring rain. who will brave this what whether to fight for democracy? everyone. everyone i know. i approaching where it is slated to take place and as we walk, one of the younger brothers and another. former reporters and coming in -- the other quit his editorial job over censorship and obstructed -- instructed to get articles from the coverage of russia. one cannot even make out the metal detector. the police will not lead to any more people through.

and that is huge by moscow standards. we walk along the park overlooking a low friends. frie. refined ourselves parked but we block traffic but they d10's. the police looked on in different as we climbed the fence to join. though framed keeps coming. i am happy to we standing there saying hello from every direction and freezing. now my editor said i have lost it. remember used to account then number of people by

breaking into a quandary? >> i cannot do with any more. >> neither can i. lourdes distinguishing in the dark. there is at least 5,000 possibly 10,000 and this is the largest sincerely 90's. has evaded group to my apartment, the women except the invitation but fable job for the election building. note -- election as they go. indeed there are 300 arrests and violence but something else, in about an hour as people try to warm up, somebody just pooled to prisoners transferred vehicles by their collar. two men were at my a

apartment as they tell and retell its proposed sublease what him go parker of tiny moment of great change. i will fast or a couple of days to the next saturday. and listen to the radio and frat. so what if 31,000 said they go to the protest? i heard of people getting 700 facebook rsvp for a party but not one single guest. it is the weekend. people feel lazy they want to sleep been and figures of

the deals will go. as i get close people come from every direction. groups and couples where young or old or middle-aged. white scarves, hats, trousers, bal loons, carnations. that has to compensate with what they wear. beating up with friends, at the metal detectors the police but today they are here because i cannot see them for the crowd. "the man without a face" texting is but a about but the official results reported by the central election committee tells a different story. it tells the united support will look like. we don't trust you says the

poster referring to the mathematician who had the bill curve. i did not vote for these men. i've voted for the other assholes. [laughter] i demand a recount. there is so many people here. they are all normal. i heard 1 million jokes and labor of money. if you spent years feeling your views were shared only by a of a few close friends being surrounded by thousands i'd like minded people you were hearing jokes all of one's. there is a stage of cannot hear the speakers by one of my friends remembers the czech people bring portable rallies in use them to listen to the speaker. she turns on the radio on her cell phone and gives us

the highlight of the speeches. we look around and join in a chant. russia without putin. there is the best selanne writer and well loved long blacklisted television anchor. they spoke about election fraud. they have not gotten the message the power has shifted in making no mention of fact soldier but he will announce is running for president and will be immediately abandoned. i am wearing thermal underwritten and to jackets and moon boots.

no way to dress for winter. peak people of still arriving. walking away i saw it is more than 35,000 people. later estimates range as high as 150,000. take the largess front filled with small twine and dunn j is the first the from the opposite if but he says 66 -- today reactivate the police of a democratic country. there is applause. at our table a momentary silence. this is great. how long since we could say this is great?

i read my france mostly along the sidewalks the length of the bridge hello for reverse time i do not get to it mr. emmett behind right year. i am not sure what the track is doing industry by notice the white balloon tied to it. peers were held in 99 cities and in front of the embassies and 40 cities around the world. putin press secretary said the detriment has no comment other protests and promises to let them know of one is formulated. a few minutes later with the television stake it -- taken away there is an excellent report on the protest. it has been years since the

have ever came television and something i had observed there comes a day when you turn on the television in the same with goose that weren't as bounding propaganda a yesterday's sit in the same studio but in this case this gives my head and the extra spin because i can remember these journalists before when they last spoke 11 years ago. by a morning to have countryside would be white. [applause] >> thank you. >> today is

march 8, march 10 looks to be a marriage your -- timeline can you talk about that? >> i wish i read there. that is my strongest feeling about it. i am worried. what putin clearly thinks is the election on my fourth but he expects the police to break up the demonstration. evens the zero day of the goal will but there was one on march 4 s that was broken up.

many have been demoralizes by the election lonesome day. it is still depressing. >> questions from the audience? we will come back around. i have a bundle. could you talk about the making of the book and the timing? you have been working on this for a while. not completely anticipated you would say quay so simply and elegantly with the timing of the election. >> the book's publication was planned for the election but we did not play and it

would be so evenflo. assuming he would run again so that assumption proves correct but i did not count on the protest. >> one that i met to to ask to be for that is slightly off topic, i wonder if you cared to comment about this odd cultural a organization we have encountered? would do like to set that aside? >> i would like to set that aside. >> host: okay. >> i just read a book about the russian revolution ended

appears from the book the bolsheviks were the solidifying force that completed the revolution. the czar was the enemy. there is a political force produce the that possibility coalescing in russia one that would change as a democratic country? >> ablow is a little early to talk about a political force with the house space that it could exist. all democratic institutions have been destroyed the media has been taken over with no public conversation. so there are no politicians made that transition of government for least one year or two after putin names before really actions

could take place. that was needed 90 and 17 as well. when the transitional period began with the bolshevik revolution. >> what is the relationship between the police and how far will they go going forward? >> the police is an independent agency like the kgb does not have a sizable armed forces. putin has to rely on the police were which is a separate agency from the

police and he clearly e does not trust the police in moscow came to cooperative troops were involved because the moscow police and not trusted. >> are you worried about your on safety when you go back? >> i worry sometimes. i don't want to overstate because there are people that i know the have been attacked and threatened and i am not one of them.

>> do think the protesters could turn violent at one point and to threaten to take the kremlin? >> the rhetoric has a way to get away. there was very clear he could not believe he was saying what he was saying. there is always that risk. one thing that has happened to be radicalize significantly since the beginning of three months ago, people used to come out

for fair elections. there were more people who could chant along with the reelection than those who were willing to chant along with the 10. then he made his remark the protesters remind him of condoms. you could feel the mood changed and at the next one just as many were willing to shout down with putin as those who were just coming out of fair elections. that process continues in the ways it was stolen has contributed to that. even though the philosophy of the movement has been consistently peaceful and

that is all we talk about as peaceful tactics, i worry i may underestimate the potential month the very many young people involved in the movement toward bid to run out what do these protesters expect of the event is states government coaxial bob administration has a poor track record when it comes to providing vocal support to other countries. what could impossibly expect from the u.s. government today? >> nothing. [laughter] actually putin has accused of being funded by the state department which is not true. it is funded completely yay

domestically. i have covered protest movements funded by the state department. this is not one of them. with this point* is extremely important to be perceived as domestically grown and defended. we don't aid the united states government to do or say anything and the future. >> i noticed your use of social media. has that changed how communication? is that limited to the cities because that is where most of the wi-fi might be? had been disappointed appeased and with how media

across the world has reacted to the russian citizens meetings and had that been a true and accurate representation in your view? >> first of all,, russia is the urban country. statistically it is 80% urban but it is those dispersed either older or in the drunken stupor it is almost negligible. mostly people live where there is internet at this point*. social media is important is the tool. there is a romantic notion

it creates some things that something did not exist before. that does not have been. it helps to make those more effective. they cannot create connections where it did before and that is one of russia's problems with the destruction of public space, of the connection is lacking and information is not flowing. people wanted to break through to the information barrier. your second question? i have been happy it has been covered widely and taken seriously which is the

consequence of the recent example but a lot of the reporting has been lazy of those stereotypes in the most destructive is a middle-class revolution that this was the kremlin's first reaction to the protest movement but they said this is irritated urbanites. and in fact, it is not. it is the broad-based movement. surveys show it is people of all income levels, education novels all over the place. also the stereotyping the

movement is limited to the two capitals which is not all true. a purchase and ration services but then the sec at was down by a very. with their to raise and a little tiny the bears and their farms and planted them on the lawn in front of city hall the vice permission to demonstrate. since then the city has banned toy protest. [laughter] also of the example of one town and when i say 99 cities russia has very few large cities.

maybe one dozen true large cities. the rest are small towns. population 145,000 moscow's sucks about everything. 120 people came out and and a town like that the people need to be known is either extreme courage your confidence the sentiment shared by the people around them. >> you might have answered but to k new speak of the people of the interior to show support for putin? and.

>> their mood your motivation? what do they want? >> that is agreed to big potential army of protesters. these are people who have been forced to take part in these rallies. college students at state universities and threat and with the expulsion or firing if they do not take part. the putin victory rally just outside red square moscow on sunday was that at one point

this is a extremely shortsighted strategy. >> two questions. one about a russian billionaire and based on your knowledge and experience, what do you think of the current circumstances how far he is able to go to become the able politician? and the other question may be more difficult how long his power may last in the

country? twelve years, 20 years? >> a few months through a few years. not more. but to hear an example that each have been personally here related. hugh full-length ast by the kremlin to get into politics last year to takeover the right to liberal party preferred is a standard common practice to get parties together were popular election then let them lie low them breathe life and just-in-time for

the election. he was handed one of those parties and called the right deal. he got serious about it very, very quickly. he is said guy who has trouble doing some paying half way. he was holding policy meetings every weekend, and he was warned this was a more than they expected of him. >> they did not listen and sure enough from september he was locked out. they handed a party and then had taken aback. so he organized another party of congress and gave the impassioned speech tuesday he would fight the kremlin puppeteers and go

all the way and he promised to come back and 10 days with the specific plan and then he completely disappeared for two months ago during that period we have to assume he was frightened sufficiently to do something would be humiliating for anybody but especially as somebody has his way. to we forced to disappear must have been extreme humiliation. apparently when he demonstrated he fell back into line and was yanked out again and told to run for present them. it was a very subdued campaign for president. despite that fact independent polls show he is

second. said he feels he has real potential. on sunday night he conceded very quickly but on monday he said the elections were not ninth -- not a fair and then monday night spoke at the demonstration. if he keeps going like this if the fuse that he can he has great potential and clearly wants to. >> is there a question over here? >> would you comment on the relationship between the kremlin and brother fitch as well as see if their people who seem to was gave with

many millions of dollars and seem to have no problem with u.k. government for russian government? >> another interesting case in point* up to 10 crony that accumulated stream wealth during the early years. did not feel safe keep being 70 and rush-hour himself. despite his happy relation and took his money and move to london where he has spent the last nine years. he was recently in court with his former business partner who is suing him over billions of dollars alleging that with the kremlin's help, forced him

to sell his assets at below-market bellevue. but that testimony in court was his only public statement ever. but his testimony was incredible. he confirmed everything we have ever heard about crime and corruption. it is very clear he assumed his audience in the courtroom and in russia people were following the trial very closely that the audience was prepared to hear how corrupt the system was brought also he will not be going back to moscow any time soon.

>> last night there was an interview ontario's talking about how being a journalist is not only dangerous but frustrating and what it is like to proceed in the freedom of information act that is taken for granted. how do tackle the story knowing the obstacles and how you tackled at as a writer? >> it is a trap. the system might try to describe is a close system that does not lead aberration the escape so it is difficult to describe. all smelly i did a lot of interviews and reporting but that is not the most viable

part. the colonel's of new information are of interest to some geeks but when i think was much more important was to take information the sun and russian and some available and it had not been systematically analyze. the story was not told. that is what i tried to do to take information to be organized and interpreted. that is part of my regular work as a journalist in moscow. i make the accidental discovery last year that was

most successful among my readers were long t tell stories of corruption they were familiar with. when we were talking earlier today making a wonderful comparison trying to make out shapes in a fog. in know what is happening with the general idea. somebody lays out. that the money goes there. and it falls into place. and defers your general impression and helps you articulate what is happening

>> can you follow-up on why you think britain's the time is committed that two years? was structural change news to be made to the russian political system to prevent another reoccurrence of where the country is now? >> the reason i think putin cannot hold onto power very much longer is the flip side of what he has done to russia to destroy democratic

institutions to deprive his own regime of that a source of legitimacy other than peer and the cooperation. not accountable to the voters but also they're not obligated to consider him a legitimate leader because they voted for the other rascals. -- assholes. when the system and begins to disintegrate it happens fast. people lose their fear and stop cooperating in the daily work that perpetuates the existence of the regime. the police don't follow orders and and don't think they should be and it has already started happening. local bureaucrats don't do

their part for the corruption machine. i think it will disintegrate. what needs to be done is democratic structures need to be restored. over the course of his eight years and russia, completely decimated electoral institutions. very systematically step by step destroyed them. in the first year of his presidency, enabled the executive-branch to take over. immediate taken over by the state. all of that needs to be restored, rebuilt from scratch.

is there a guarantee they cannot be destroyed again? no. the reason he could do it is he had the full cooperation of the russian population for quite a long time. maybe this time we will be wiser and will not cooperate with another dictator. >> we have time for a couple more questions. >> what is the meaning of the but 10 you are wearing? >> we will come again. it is a white ribbon alluding to the voting and

this is on of of popular chance. it sounds better in russia and. [laughter] we tried to print up as many as possible there is always the count chain problem. hays the count chain problem. had this idea we print up hundreds of thousands so it is one by 10 per person then we know how many to get rid of. but there isn't enough capacity to carry that out we handed out about 20,000. also we wanted people to the the protest with something they could wear to show they had been there to signal to other people to feel like

participants. it says we will come again. you can wear it from protest to protest. >> in the last few years russia has done very well in terms with the cost of energy throughout the world. we know the oligarchs were crony is where women tennis players are doing fine. how about the general population and? have they reaped the rewards of the good fortune? >> yes. statistically the country as a whole has benefited from the welfare and if that is part of what accounts for the long time putin when done challenge. it is hard to talk about bad

things when things are good in the sense that people standard of living in changed exponentially in the early 2000's people could complete a new kind of clothing and lifestyle. restaurants were opening one dozen per week. good food, good wine. that got in the way of making life sweeter. at the same time russia has not mitigated any of the main disadvantage is of extreme wealth especially when exporting national resources. the ruble is too strong to live comfortably because everything is so expensive. everything is imported

there's no point* to manufacture anything in russia. that is what accounts for the extremely high price of living. everyone but the super rich have been priced out of the moscow are real-estate. except imagine most of the country lives in manhattan or once to or works in manhattan and the house to commit a. the explosion of the number of private cars it is not unusual for people to spend four hours per day and traffic. the infrastructure cannot keep up. the gap between the super rich and the rest of us is huge.

is ostentatious. moscow has the highest number of mercedes s class in the world. not only do sit in traffic in your little trash can of your car but then you see all of the mercedes with flashing blue lights passing you by abizaid go to do very important rich business. >> if there is anything else? here is the last question? >> notice the protest movement or even hear it to new occupier wall street coming in favor of kind of

disappear but it here into nation i am not quite sure. occupy wall street evaporates. and russia you have a progressive political party to aspire to. that the protesters would consider joining or is it a vacuum at that level? >> there is a vacuum at that level because there are no political parties because the system has been destroyed. offering something of banded vantage zero her occupy wall street. there are no structures. it cannot be swallowed because those has success

and the danger is there and i am scared of it. but it competition, not so much. we wish you all good things. [applause] said the maquette the conservative political action conference here is the most recent book called the tea party manifesto from joseph there. iowa to ask about the size of this book? >> it is a compact little

book. the shortest book ever rule under 30,000 words. as long as it needs to be with a very specific message for the tea party movement when i wrote it. i did not think i needed to labor over any more words. >> host: what is the message? >> guest: name noticed a trend where people lourdes giving the tea party movement advice about limiting their scope of interest the biggest was the tea party movement should own a be a body count makes it should not venture into any other subject matter. mainly by a explore is the idea is there is no distinction between economics and other issues. people like the false paradigm but my contention

is economics is a moral issue. whether the speed limit, tax hike, dealing with something like abortion. everything is a moral issue. government tries to find that moral consensus. i just want to find that tea party movement that has been solos spectacularly successful to change the direction of the country to hear the different point* of view. >> host: how do you judge the health of the tea party today? >> sometimes wonder. 2010 was a spectacular show ring of think anybody would doubt they made their presence felt at that election but for a lot of tea party activist maybe thursday thought their job

was finished and said we have taken care of business because we elected the right people. there is a temptation to think it is all about election. but that is just where it begins because now you have to hold those officials accountable that is a much bigger job. >> host: how many books have your written? >> a total of 13 including collaboration sand goes trading. the most famous book is with rush limbaugh which sold about 8 million copies. my next book i am not looking at that. normally what happens is the inspiration one day and then within six mont