doing in guantanamo we had people executed in germany. the constitution does not talk about citizens. the constitution talks about persons having certain rights. by the way, the claim that the geneva convention does not apply to these people is just plain wrong. even the u.s. supreme court has made that ruling. host: thanks for all of your calls. in a moment we will speak with our guest from think progress, the editor in chief, and the associate editor of real clear politics. we will talk about what is happening congress, things in the white house in the media. your calls in a conversation coming up in just a bit. ♪

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host: faiz shakir is the editor in chief of the progress. here is the associate editor of real clear politics. we're here to talk about congress wrapping up in the influence of media on politics. there is a front-page story this morning in roll-call about the gop in their plants over the recess. they planned to blast away over the fourth of july recess. they get these breaks in congress. how affected our party is getting a message through to the public, particularly in the stretch but this holiday? guest: it requires a lot of grassroots work. unique coalition-building out in the states, districts to amplify your message. if you are focused on a message in washington, d.c., advertising and places like "roll-call" or "the washington post," it has a

limited effect. you have to go back home and attend fourth of july parades. you have to hook their messages are bombarding in getting across to constituents in the home states. i think they're effective when targeted that way. host: it is kind of the down time for politics in general. what are you looking at as the recess develops? guest: the districts that democrats have won over the last two cycles were taken from republicans. republicans are going back into the district's to target those easy ones. this is recess time will definitely target advertising to those districts, specifically. the want to try to cut the democratic majority. host: here is an article in

"roll-call" about the liberal deck. now that the energy bill has been passed, they're looking to take up their cause, the gays are. how much influence do think the group in particular will have now that the president has gotten some of his measures passed through congress? guest: absolutely, they will have some because he did make some promises during the campaign. they have begun by extending benefits to federal employees. congress, the democrats, want to take that up to make it a legislative priority. host: faiz shakir, how big a win was it for the president to get that bill passed through the house on friday? guest: it was significant. they had to make some concessions, but it is still a bill most democrats can

be happy with. it's still accomplishes all of a global warming objectives while also giving a significant victory to move on now to health care in the house which will be one of the next big obstacles. there will be some major legislative hurdles yet to come, but the fact that we have one you can move on to the next agenda. host: the conversation this half-hour is on politics and the white house. our guest will be with us until 8:00 a.m. eastern. kyle trygstad, you have a piece on friday about the gop pushing back on energy. the just passed the bill which should not pass by a wide margin -- did not pass by what margin, but how likely is it that the gop was begins that with those things coming down

the pipe at the present has popular support for? guest: this took some effort off the health care plan which they had been pushing against pretty hard. this deal last weekend between the agriculture committee chairmen and it speaker nancy pelosi and henry waxman kind of changed things quickly for republicans. the republicans that will it push against this energy bill, but was such a big gap between the majority and minority in house seats there is little they can do. host: let's go to calls. first up this is richard on the republican line from new york. go ahead. caller: thank you for c-span. they just passed the cap and trade legislation and house. in the congressman who voted for that should be impeached because there were not allowed to read the bill. just like the patriot act. but they did not read the bill.

how can you vote on something you did not read? now with question if they go to the senate if they should allow the american people to read it online for seven days before they vote on it. this is treasonous. i would like a campaign for liberty. ron paul's site tops a lot about it. host: the importance of being able to read the bill? guest: it is important, but this cap and trade bill has been going on for decades. it has been gradual. you have had debate on it for the last several congresses. the have improved on the past previous efforts. john mccain has been a leader previously in pushing legislation on this. this agenda did not surprise.

it is one president obama campaigned on it, the details of which were well-understood by leaders of both parties in the house. host: here is an article on the terror provision that was in the bill. as to go into this negotiation with the senate was some political capital? guest: president obama gave interviews concerning the energy bill which was widely reported as an effort to try to influence the senate debate. they want to take out what they see as a protectionist item in the house compromise and hopefully have some success. there is still a lot of room to strengthen the senate bill. right now it is far weaker than the house bill. there has been to the many efforts made. host: to the democrats lined in

nashville, good morning. caller: good morning to you. i feel that cap and trade is in part because the incentive states has always been the world leader. with china and upcoming -- the united states has always been the world leader. with china and upcoming power millions will get cars and the next couple of decades and we need to lead. what do your guests feel the republicans can run on in light of the six years they had total control and double the national debt? and increased the size of government buy 40% or so? host: kyle trygstad? guest: that is something that republicans have admitted to. we did make mistakes over the last few years and the american people answered that. the one thing they can run on now is what obama ran on last

year which is jobs and economy. they want to pin it to nancy pelosi and president obama. that is what they are banking on. guest: there is a real concern about what the house and senate republicans have to say about such a critical issue as energy and national reform. many leading conservatives said that global warming is a hoax and do not even believe in the basic science. that is a critical problem for the house republicans that there are so divided on a critical issue. whether global warming even exist. that is a fundamentally difficult position to articulate for forms of any kind. on the one hand you say they do not believe in a problem, and then many of their efforts to address it or simply status quo. let's simply burn more coal and burned the earth along the way. they are stuck in a difficult box and have not found a way to

get out of it. host: pennsylvania, on the independent line. caller: a couple of comments and then i would like to hear their responses. first of all, of like to hear since this energy bill passed concerning the fact that the united states has 5% of the population of the world and we are responsible for 25% of the world's pollution. china, although a miserable polluter, are taking heavy actions to counteract that, as with mass transportation and other things. obama in the democrats had better fight back against the republican onslaught coming on -- we can see the beginnings of it. if they do not they will lose in 2010 and 2012 because progressives like myself and independents make up the largest

segment of the voting population -- we are disgusted with what obama is doing. that will be the bottom line. is not because of republican strength, but the disappointment of democrats and independents. host: kyle trygstad, the lot his statement a little. one commentator said they thought it would be two or three election cycles before republicans will come back into power. guest: yes, i think republicans see that as a real possibility. they are so far down. they are down 13 senate seats and it does not look great next year. they will at least lose one more. what happens in this congress and over the next year, with the congress and with the economy -- it just does not look great. host: how much harder is it in

the senate now that john ensign has stepped down as the lead senator of the campaign committee? guest: from the policy committee. they had another guy who is a rising star, so i'm not sure they will lose a lot. obviously, though, they did take a hit at least image-wise for republicans. guest: across the board, if you look at poll some of obama is more trusted than those gop, even with tourism and deficit control. he is still broadly more trusted than the house and senate gop's. there is a fundamental problem there. my fellow blocker has indicated that they often target though gop as a problem for obama. it is not the case. it is a problem for the gop that they are stuck on these critical issues, losing to obama, having

very little trust in the american public. going into future elections opposes a major problem only for them. host: myrtle beach, south carolina, good morning. caller: i would like to take issue politely. mr. faiz shakir, i hope to be embarrassed about not trying to bring certain things to lead. the media as far as i am concerned it is totally in the tank for this president on every level. look at health care and abc. why didn't the network bring up people like me who it is getting ready to retire? i believe that congress is exempt from the health care plan they're trying to give us, that they have about the best health care plan in the world and still be able to get it. when i have freedom of choice can i sign on to them? also, can you tell me as a baby boomer why isn't anyone bringing

to light -- how many people do think will get medicare and the next seven years? i am the original baby boomer from 1946. it will be catastrophic. all of those people will go off private. host: lots to respond to. guest: thank you for the question. i have a book camino with howard dean about health care reform. the fundamental problem of the next 50 years will be the cost of health care. it is rising out of control and if you do not put into place fundamental measures to bring in those costs, you will not succeed regardless of what efforts he made. one of the staples that howard dean and many other liberal advocates have pushed for is a public plan. one that would compete against

private insurers. if you have one on the table the hope is that the public one could compete with the way to drive down costs both from private insurers, but also administer a plan that costs much less of a long term. host: following up on his comments about health care -- here is a message from twitter. would either of you like to time in -- chime in on that? guest: there is a lot and on advertising, and much money spent on trying to figure out how to get a healthy pool to cover -- that is with the insurance companies do. then you have people who go to the emergency room and take up a lot of cost.

the rest of us have to pay for. that news to be rectified. you need and affordable, cost- effective option for those without insurance or who are on the risk of losing it, to have a fallback plan slicking get coverage. so that they don't have into the emergency room unless they have a catastrophic problem. host: let's follow up on that caller's comment concerning the abc town hall from last week. guest: it was definitely interesting because the whitehouse has allowed two stations begin with unprecedented access. this was not seen by quite as many people. many blame that on the white house and the fact that american people might be tired of seeing these things. the other argument may have been that abc did not promote it as much. it was obviously a good thing for the white house to do to get

this conversation going to the american people. host: the issue of health care came of yesterday's on this week with george stephanopoulos. here's a bit of what david axelrod had to say and also with the president said. >> well, i do not want to show viewers something the president said in the campaign back in september -- i want to show viewers this. >> i want to make a firm pledge that no family making less than $250,000 per year will see any form of tax increase, not your income tax, not your payroll tax, not your capital gains taxes, not any of your taxes. >> that is a firm pledge, does it mean that the president will veto any bill that has a tax increase for those earning less than 2 minute 500 thousand dollars per year? >> the president says that whatever is done it must not add

to the deficit. this will have to be paid for. two-thirds of its expense under the president's plan would be done by transferring money within the health-care system for medicare, on wasteful spending, giveaways to the insurance and drug companies, and so on. we're talking about the final third. he has proposed a plan that would be in keeping with his promise, to cap deductions for the wealthiest americans. host: was there any change of message from the candidate to the elected president? guest: i think they are trying to remain at least somewhat consistent. we will have to wait and see what comes out of the bill is to see if they can stick to it. guest: a think the

administration is that, trying to figure had to pay for health care reform. it is estimated around $1.60 trillion. trying to figure or will come from is one of the difficult challenges. the administration marshall looks to congress to resolve it. -- is largely looking to congress. some are not taking a firm position. they are waiting to see what the best ideas are. host: in the first five months has that been the pattern? guest: i think so. obama came into office with large goals and has said to the congress, give me your approach to this. here are the things i would like to tackle. tell me your time frame, your schedule, your details that you would like to offer. he has given republicans ample

opportunity to weigh in on the stimulus, for example. those efforts have not succeeded greatly with republicans, but he still is sticking to his original ideas which is to allow congress to have an equal say in this. host: good morning, on the democrats' line. caller: hi. well, i would like to comment regarding the health care plan and the lovely plan obama wishes to have in place. i saw this poll were 72% of the american people are in support of public health care. at this time people are really aware of the crisis in health care industry and across the nation. i would like to know why the congress and the president do not work more towards the

federal plan like the congress and federal employees have. i am a retired va nurse and i had the most wonderful health care plan. i know the congress has it. this plan includes, i think there are eight or ten per the company is you can pick from, including blue cross blue shield -- i think there's a real road, and another is a post office plan. you get to pick which plan you want. there is no problem going to any doctor you wish to commit any specialist. your medications are taking care of 80/20 and i cannot understand why congress is not fully behind a plan like this. i saw on one of the programs where senator grassley had

received campaign contributions from insurance companies on almost $400,000 from 2003 until 2008. he had received almost $300,000 from the pharmaceutical companies. host: we will get a response. guest: the obvious answer here it is the expense. such a great health care plan that congress has, even some in the military might be very happy with their plans. it is just extremely expensive. to provide that for every single american a think would be beyond the means of what this current government can do. guest: the book i mentioned with dean and myself, we say that the conservatives lose their principles on the free market

when it comes to help her. progressive say to put a public auction on the table and let people choose. choose which option as in the federal plan, that the blood. there is a dichotomy between poll numbers -- 72% believe in a public auction, compared with what goes on in the senate which is a little debating society of its own. often one gets lost in the senate and try to buy votes and win people over is that they lose sight of what is going on out in america. one never hears to make sure that the senate debating society does not lose sight of the fact that there is this public sentiment. host: faiz shakir is the editor in chief of the in progress. what is the affiliation of it? guest: we are affiliated with a

liberal think tank that is about 200 employees. we advocate for many progressive reforms. think progress is the official blog. we have been in existence for about four years. we are rapid response blog that puts out all kinds of stories over the course of the day rebutting conservative myths, putting out progressive stances on things. host: real clear politics came to light in 2000. what is it doing now in terms of the coverage of the administration and congress? guest: one of our most popular things is to track all polls for presidential and congressional approval. we average the numbers of although in a mix of one clear number that people can look at. host: when you hear faiz shakir say about the poll of members on healthcare and it does not resonate in the senate, the fund that in other cases also?

-- do find that in other cases also? guest: a suddenly find that republicans will find one poll that matches their rhetoric and use that one even at three others say something else -- that is the great thing about us, is that we average those and get one crude number. host: are there too many out there? guest: yes, there were quite a few in 2008. if you want to the page for the obama/mccain horse race you to about 15. host: you had an article back in april at about the 100-day mark for the prison. it said that gop transitions to super-minority, what does that mean? guest: if al franken becomes the next leader, and means they would have 60 seats in the senate which is how much you need to pass legislation you

want. and also it means that they have a huge majority in the house. to me that is a super-minority. host: can either view here at 8:00 a.m. on the east coast give us an update on al franken? guest: it is said that he may be seated if the court battle drags on forever. hopefully he is open to pressure from minnesota. they are largely winning for the court to have its final say. host: about another half hour concerning the present, the white house, congress. good morning, california. caller: it seems to me that advocates of global warming think the debate is over. it really is not. the case for global warming is not based on science. instead it is the statistical correlation in computer models

that global warming is human- caused. the alternative as a clinician is that temperatures in the planet are caused by solar activity. you have a correlation of warming on other planets, principally a mars, that correlates with the temperature changes on earth. i'm wondering if the progressive gentleman can provide me with the press was the argument that rebuts this, or perhaps just point me to upset. guest: i would tell you about the most renowned body of international experts on the issue of global warming that has come to determination that the signs is in and we need to take immediate action to address a. it is not this inter- governmental body alone, but nasa, and a whole body