according to indy bound. it recounts a battle that changed the american approach to the vietnam war. many of these authors have or will be appearing on book tv. you can watch them on our website. hello everybody. welcome to the 33rd annual i would like to give a special thank you to all of our sponsors today's program will be broadcast live if there is time at the end of the q&a session we ask that you go to the microphone so that they back at home can hear it.cr before we begin we also ask that you silence your cell phones and turn off all camera flashes. please welcome our moderator. a

[applause]. hello. thank you so much everyone for coming. this is a great book to be discussing i have to admit i read in about two days. it really is engaging and even if you're looking for a fun summer read. it has a great balance. thank you all so much. i did really cool things here in chicago. there are three of them here. i thought that was the only people that would be here today so here's a thank you so much. t

right off the bat this is how he described chicago. instead of being transparent and honest.no and best even the smallest petty criminals. they are full of crap. they were too close to the white people on thehe tray, tell us a little bit about loyally all in your roots here and how chicago kind of safety. i was going to freestyle hip hop

back when it was a big thing.d i was a student at loyola university where i have that. i began interviewing people in a and serious ties to criminal justice reform and while she reads that i will poke plenty of fun at myself. and have a lot of fun. i went through very dark. of time in life. when i become to the ridiculous nest in the country. t it goes for republicans as well

as democrats. they were my libertarian beliefs that i just i don't think the government can be the solution for everything. that you can just continue to throw more money everything. on the left side in the right side.an de some

money and traveled. you saw poverty like most of us have not experienced. talk to us a little bit about what you were doing up until age 30. >> i was an intern and i fetched him coffee for many years when he was anchor here. and i began my career. where i still reside today. in the former naples area. i was idiot any and everywa

hurricane that was my firstca national time on cnn. what is that idiot doing timing to get inside.at anytime you ever have the opportunity to travel with my love of culture. as a writer book it's pretty vanilla. i would always make fun of how they were khakis from kmart in here. or walking down the street. you smell literally the foods of countries from around the world

chinese food on another block. it was amazing to me. when i was here in chicago after i got done studying and then later in life when i would eventually sell a business i wanted to go see the world and so one of my passions is a traveling and absorbing as much culture as i ever could. i learned a few languages in the process. i had been held at gunpoint. has been a fun ride. it comes out of my love of people and culture. it's why i adore the city so much. he is not kidding about being dragged off of the bus in the middle of the night. nothing illegal was going on.

they have some foreshadowing. so tell us about this. you have a phone have a phone call to come back and anchor you decided to run for office. talk to us about that. does anybody go there in the winter. is there anybody that has grandparents.oeybhe i know we always had at least one. when i was in dc i represent the naples fort myers area. my grandparents lived there.

so i left tv news to start up the communication. i wanted to get involved in politics.un and it just so happened as i leftnsin tv news a radio show od up to do a political talk in the morning. i would do the radio show and it was a conservative radio show.do i would actually often really try to push the envelope. on the show.n and what happened is that i've got this radio show and i begin in one way or another building up a bit of a following. among republican primary votersu it just so happens while i'm doing radio that the current congressman at the time his father was a senator out of the state of florida.. he was a congressman and he called me and said i'm in a run for the senate. c and i did. and what i have. this was the politics of

politics. to use my own example of any of you who may have that.ai i have some assets that a politician needs. i have already have a following that his name idaho. that was already there. if you don't had name identification you need money. and tons of it. you as a candidate are nothing more than a product and if the market yourself and had to brand yourself. your talking points and you have to literally go out in the crowd and say pick me.r the horrific part that comes to that is money. i don't get very gently on here is what we should do to get money out of politics for this

or that. what i really hope ti ven i dea late out there how it is.t if you got and raise boatloads of cash.o and it starts with three groups. we have the friends and family.e those are the three groups that you triageom when you're announcing and launching your campaign. you literally contact the person that you haven't they haven't seen to the last funeral or wedding. it is cold and calculated. and then you go to the believern to use present-day and local politics president barack obama and donald trump have a lot of those people.d

they may be struggling financially. but they will still write that $5 check. and they unload the people that want something. in my experienceth i never realy have anything that is out of a hollywood movie it was never anything like that. you can bet the next day. in the office you are separated. there is a policy that they like. you know that person just raised me $20,000 last night.ouai these are some of the dirtier components that go into it. and a little bit of breakdown.

one of the things that is even somebody that is close there. it is still stunning to me sometimes to have the curtain pulled backpo as much of it is. on two main areas. you talk aboute not just the special interest money but the money you are expected to raise for your felloww a congressmen d how that is a judge of your marriage.ra y you really of no use if you can not raise that money. when you walked into that meeting. so the house of representatives each party has a political arm. it's called the democratic congressional committe it is what is referred to. on the republican side it is the nr cc. and againip you have to keep yor

federal office and lawmaker roles separate from your campaign cannot be tied to politics at all. you are forbidden from that. you cannot use the same. federally issued phone. but to share something with you don't pass judgment here.h of course i'm happy to. but this just laid out for you on what really happens in washington dc is this. if you think that your local member of congress whether you live in the suburbs where here in the city is getting their stellar seats on committees like this person is the have of foreign affairsse the most powerful committee a the reason that they got there is not because they are the most eloquent is because they can raise money. and lots of it. let there be no question that

the politics they undoubtedly play the role in what you end up doing is a federal lawmaker and what you achieve. what committee you get on. even if you want to go on to be leadership. there is a wall of shame. the first meeting into the nr cc we have our campaign after our general election. we had raise $25,000 for the nr cc because i reflect on this. and it feels a little dark and dirty to talk about it but it just to let out there. t you bet i want to be a player. i wanted to work hard.

i wanted to serve the country but i knew that there was a game. i raised $25,000 for the nr cc. it has every republican's name on it.ot and it has how much money you had raised for the nr cc. i did 25,000. i know i did more than the other freshmen. they have a million dollars.o. they did 50,000.. i don't see my name. i look over at the end of the board and next to my name is a big fat zero. i go up to the one of the other members of congress. why do i have a zero.

this goes on and on. it is what it is. i think you will never find a solution. they are going to be arguments about free speech and how you can express yourself and do so with money.e e we could get to that at a later time.do you best believe this is how you raise your stature.is i just don't do gets the healthiest thing. but it is what it is. it is kind of depressing to read the book.hes not so much about the interparty. ihe

they are sleeping on their part. they are saving the taxpayers money. they have security detail and suvs pulling up and driving people around. they talk a little bit about comparing it to the roman empire and how it sort of feels as a freshman what did you see. and how it sort of feels as a freshman what did you see. and the young boys. that is a different story. this is why i love the big city crowd. it's kind of like a blog. it's live right.

there is a lavish lifestyle in washington dc. there's no question about it. i understand that. i do think it's a little stupid for them to say that. but here's a bunch of people that protected them. i understand how leadership i get that and i support that. talk about the third one. they are leadership people i would not had expected.ha as we get to even darker parts of a washington but my own life. i've have them.

what is so utterly ridiculous about the way that they operate. with the dinners all the time. the parties put money towards her. i just want my primary electionu in the united states they are the drought -- given overwhelmingly. you know that. so in my primary that's it. i'm done. that also is a problem that your country has. it's like putting them into a room and say compromise. i ran -- i when my primary. i'm been flown up to dc. i get to the dinner and i role

in an invitation said that there is going to be people in the dc business community. i'm go. we go sit down to head dinner. and bizarrely they started putting out all of these huge trays of the steak and chicken on skewers. why is everything on a skewer. were at a steakhouse by the way. we're at a steakhouse. when the democratsa came in to power the first two years with president barack obama they implemented rules because of the scandals with the lobbyist. in their infinite wisdom they said lobbyists are going to have as much influence over a lawmaker when we stop them from purchasing a plated dinner.

instead a lobbyist can buy a steak dinner if it is stuck on a stick.d it's the truth. think about your taxpayer dollars that you pay every year. the money that goes to washington. they have a bunch of the united states congress to sit around the table and say let's cut down influence. we will go with skewers. and that was a law that they came up with. that was my first dinner steak on a skewer. >> that reminds me of chicago. in chicago you will recall the aldermen were still appalled that they were not going to be able to get those comesouth tic.

they try to figure all of these ways with the fair market valuee they try to finagle all of these different ways to make it legalt you cannot accept a gift that is worth x amount of dollars or more. >> with any rule or regulation that you have there is a room for of attorneys and some skyscraper here in there city of chicago. they are figuring out how to bend that rule. how to get around it. my biggest think and i say this to my hard-core girlfriends a if you want to stopmy all of this prodding or if you want to stop pitting people against each other in life whether you support massive subsidies for green energy which all of us believe in. i understand ideas for research and development.

if you don't like that or if you don't like a bunch of them outbreaks going to big oil you've got to stopyo having government pick and choose sides specifically based on their tax laws. if you want them to get out of the office. and if you take away the brakes or the incentives they can't be there anymore.y government creates the job for the lobbyist. to fight for what they want in their interests only. >> we are going to move unsightly. reporter the state lawmaker said she just doesn't do it. she doesn't go out for drinks.er if she doesn't does it meet pickne for coffee she does that up every single time.

i am not even going to mess with the disclosures and he paid for what. i'm just back and be a part of that.g mhe you never even appear compromised. p >> the human part of that i began the book with. we can argue all day over money and influence b there is a human component to this also.ha sometimes you go here a and you see the person of an opposite party there. when lobbyist that would be able to give you valuable information. the government created their jobs. they also can provide you with valuable information and give you insight.me t even someone who lobbies democrats can talk to republicans. and they broaden the scope. one of the things i think is missing in washington dc today

is just relationships. t we spend so much time yelling at each other instead of talking with each other i am not a perfect person. fe one of the things i was really proud of is my first 30 days in office i made a point to go make and meet every florida democrat. i knew i would be spending time with republicans.d i went in and met with every florida democrat. and they want to meet with debbie wasserman schultz. it's like them asking for a meeting with the pope. what's going on here. i ended up striking up great relationships with the democrats from all over the nine united states and starting with floridiansa and i ended up

working with democrats on things that i believe done. things like that.ia you don't get a lot of that in dc.t so whether at some of the social aspects where people can interactn' i just think it is incumbent upon s members of congress to a remove themselves of the political echo chambers that we all had it's kind of a liberal city here in chicago. we have kind of conservative area and you get so trapped in these echo chambers. and then they go out and get active with the democratic party. people who watchh whoever on the right hand. we lock ourselves in the chambers. i would encourage you to tell your member of congresssss andt sounds contrary to what you might believe. longer.dc a lot of

they need to be in the district and in touch with their people. the word compromise is not a dirty word. with our spouse in our children and our boss and in her coworkers. compromise does not meet abandoning your values or principles i think it means sharing them. [applause]. we are neck and had time to get into the beginning of this relationship but you have to read the book. he takes you under his wing. at the time you are married and have a very young son. you mention in the book friendship that you struck up with even one of our congressmea

but you would be at these functions and even though they were young they were able to show restraint and you weren't. and you talk about how balanced has always been something difficult for you. walk us through what started happening to you in the days leading up to your arrest. i do a lot of personal stuff that i went through. putting a horrific death of my mother. i started a business. i did all of these things. it was undoubtedly a lot of pressure that i went through. >> she died on my wedding reception floor.re it was a terrible accident we can get into some of these. i have very self-deprecating

human and i laugh a lot of things. but we all have a grieving or lost. w whether you are a democrat or republican liberal are conservative. you have a sense of humor juergen have a heart attack..ok that said we go to what is happening i'd gone through all of these things and done through the campaign and i then found my wife and child thousands of miles away. i was living like a bachelor. i would go to these's worries and have some cocktails.e or the red flags were going up left and right. and knowing it before i even ordered it. red flags all over that i ignored.

and my tuesdays and wednesdays becameme like that. with my own personality is that i had been a man madman about everything i do. i would work from 8:00 a.m. g until 6:00 at night and i loved what i did. i loved serving this country. i loved lawmaking. and i would go hard-core unfortunately i would play just as hard at night. i would get off work and i would go like most members of congress they go out and maybe they have a cocktailke and a glass of red wine. i met some friends off of the hill.ta g i would find myself at a bar talking and it would be talking about sportsd or something othr than that. the latest foreign policy on syria.th

i do not had to be the congressman. i made idiotic decisions. i head in my life dabbled in cocaineul in you but i was in washington. so decision after decision and out party and night after nighto i purchased one night. not only is it an idiotic move for a few reasons you are a father in the husband. you are a member of the united states congress you idiot. i would buy cooking and i got busted by the fbi. they have said that they heard that there was a member of congress who was doing this and have done this. it was a sting operation. i don't know a whole a lot of the details about it. i would also say though one of the things that i do in the book because i have a thorough respect for men and women in law

enforcement i don't go to heavy detail about what the undercover guy looks like. whether you been to your own ups and down.ik we have our way of dealing with things. whether it is just trying to move on. i try not to dwell too much on the past what i could work can i have done. i was arrested i remember specifically the road i was walking on. i probably would've just kept going.an i have beers on the hill with staff after my day at work. i went to a fundraiser with the width of the house who is now the majority leader. and then i went to a bar and

after i walk out and purchasingn fbi your life is about to change dramatically. they said that. that was the understatement of a lifetime.dr and given a social media you don't really talk about that too much in the book about what people tweeted at you people made fun of you on late night talk shows. i am the party of family values. i could not be a bigger target. i never everer used the word tea party ever. i am there. i do believe there are common

values like things like octopi wall street. i believe there is a good hearth and belief not a lot of what they have done.e you bet o i was the cocaine congressman. and that's what i get stuck with. you will read more about this in the book. you did not tell people for a while. the real first name is henry. nobody would really make that connection.of what kind of dark spot were you in. i literally was like okay i'm going to walk now i had been vested in the arrest have not been announced and i still went to work.on. i was an insane person for weeks

this went on. i ended up coming out. maybe somehow this will work itself out.ndhr when i look back at us i think you were are really crazy. you are out of your damn mind. >> has it changed how you view other peoplew who makes mistak. if you knew him j he seemed like he was sincere but got caught up in capping and spending. in bipolar in his life went off track.er do you view give you situations like that differently. i'm just thinking of recent things. aaron shock. who also got caught up allegedly.ur i see it and i know aaron. he is a great guy. aaron again if all of this ends up being true.st

this is a young diet that served guy that served you in one way or another.s he worked with democrats. by all accounts he is just a great guy who wanted to do good things with the country. this is what i would say. he was a horrible racial word. if you haven't seen it this is a tremendously colossal thing to do.o.t, she should not had done second follow-up press conference. even recognizing that she made a genuine apology. and as a good thing to do when you go through something like

this. she could probablylyd come outd reorganize that. now, the one thing that i would share about a crisis situation that was the hardest for me s for me to digestst you see the world destroying you. one of the things i still think about today. in my personal friends. friends who were in elected politics and you just wish there would be somebodyec just as loud fighting for you. trying to stand uph and say this is a good person. j politics. it is what it is. we want to have time for a few questions. i just want to close.

you know have a radio program. do you findar that that moment n time will do fine you always. and are you accepting of that. it's not like everybody has ups and downs. i know that we are short on time. i'm open to everything.ot we will see. i don't get to find me. i think it is part of life. all of this is individuals. it's very complicated. we all come to the table with her ups and downs it is part of what makes you. you just can't let the past --

passed way down. and you can't be so anxious about the future that you are also unable to move forward. i just tried to live a little bit more strike a little bit more balance in my life and live in the presence. it's a great book. there are some out front and i think he will stay & some. >> and please to have you be here.af any comments for independence i read a book recently that brought to life that there might be a no labels group. give any hope or optimism about that. >> you think about choices toda. in young people are all about choices. if you want to order something from here or there, with choices

for everything there are numerous companies and in our political system we had two parties. that's it. i think unfortunately if there is a third party is when to make any headway it will be a long time. it will be many years because of the way the infrastructure for both of the parties have done that. they've a pretty successful plan here and there. there can be two people that i'm for that. are you spouting out republican talk. unfortunately with the way the infrastructure is. it will be a while before we get to a third party. good afternoon.

thank you for coming to chicago. i'm a high school civics you are teacher here in chicago. if you are not voting you are part of the program -- problem. whoever you don't like an in office is because you didn't vote. you have to go out. i'm not saying that everybody needs to become some grassroots activists. or trump magnets. we have to vote. it is a matter of impressing upon young people today. the overwhelming thing i did not

help with that by the way. these are people who are there for the same reasons that are to improve america. they are all there for the same reason. and how we get there has been a tough part of this country since its inception. more government are less government. if you are the president of the united states was a first thing you would do..

i want to do this but just to make a final point. is i do believe we do need criminal justice reform in this country in a big way. and let me use the war on drugs in particular. we can go over all day. the war on drugs. when i talk about the war on drugs. i really try to speak to the people that if you are social conservative the war on drugs is breaking up families. to overwhelmingly and cursory debt. the only hurt themselves. i believe i shudder every time i hear about another murder.

i believe that one of reasons that we have so much violence in this country and specifically in chicago is because the war on drugs in particular has created a black market w it has created gang warfare and turf warfare. b i will say something and i will talk about a group of people who i think are the biggest victims of the war on drugs.k the liberals won't talk about them because it's against the political agenda. the biggest victim in the war on drug.'s cops. and animosity that we have created in this country most especially in our cities between communities and it does it need to be there. we need to get rid of the war on drugs.

is one of the reasons that wraps up our time. thank you. thank you for attending today's event. book signing will be outside the auditorium. but tv is on twitter and facebook. and we want to hear from you. or post a comment on her facebook page. facebook.com.