who in a vet. they're supporting communism. this guy wants to take over everything including community colleges now. cap and trade will kill america. host: let me ask you about supporting republican candidates. you want some moderate republicans out of the party. are you thinking about sending money to individual candidates? caller: if they say what i believe in, i do. i believe personally obama should be impeached host: all right. we will move on to davenport, iowa, on the democratic line. what do you think? caller: yes, i am making political donations, to individual candidates. he started out as a republican.

i switched to vote for kennedy. i cannot see any republican we have elected yet to -- we have grassley. he has to go. host: two papers this morning have a piece about the supreme court and whether or not john paul stevens will be announcing his retirement. here is "the new york times" -- it says here that he has to fish or cut bait for his own personal peace of mind, and also in fairness to the process. he has served for nearly 35 years in the supreme court. it is an interview with the reporter from the paper. this morning in "the washington post quoted a also have a piece about john paul stevens, saying

that he is making a weighty decision. he acknowledges he told a reporter early last month that he would make a decision in about 30 days, but hoped it was not being treated as a statute of limitations. bloomberg adds to the story this morning, saying that this judges to be considered for the supreme court. the group includes the candidates being considered -- these who are said to be topping the list. john, the republican line, from los angeles. caller: i am a middle-income

person and have never understood why anyone of my income status or lower would donate money. this is a rich man's game. i just do not understand. it makes absolutely no difference what someone with limited income gives. when i hear about all the people who gave obama $25 or $50 a just shook my head. i am not saying that because it is obama, but for either party. host: you not think that the total sum of those helped obama when he was running? caller: yes, i guess. but i see it as a waste of money for someone who cannot really afford to give their money. host: so, john, you're not giving any candidates any money? caller: no, not at all. host: what do you think the tea party since your calling on the republican line? the you align yourself with them? caller: not really.

i admire them, quite frankly. it is good they're getting out there to make their selves heard it. unfortunately, i think there have been portrayed as extremists by many people in the press and by democrats. they take one little thing and blow it up to its summit everyone who disagrees with obama is racist. we have all of these millions of cameras everywhere we go, whether someone a cell phone or otherwise. when one politician said that both "n" word was yelled at him, no one caught that on camera. host: are you making donations? caller: good morning.

it ticks me off when i hear you guys calling for republicans to call in. a few times ago you had someone call in talking about -- you have republicans watching fox news. i will donate money to storming, running against some veterans. i will also donate money to the local center in louisiana. as bad as louisiana is right now, we need health care. they voted against it. they should have been gone a long time ago. i'm waiting for the 2012 elections with president obama since the supreme court made the decision to flood the process with money, i will give to

dollars, $3. i object to the caller is said it is a rich man's game. no. when you give small donations, you can take over a rich man's game. host: this is called the wild card in the money race. it says that one wild card this year is the impact of last year's decision limiting direct expenditures by corporations or unions on advertising supporting a particular candidate. boston, antonio, on the independent line. caller: no, i'm not making any political donations. peace to you and to everyone listening. i have been in this country for

45 years. i hope the american people right now can understand what is going on. you had a woman calling -- oh, i like obama. he does wonderful things. he works very hard. i liked obama the sea. he was too young to be president of the united states of america. obama should have waited at least five years before he can be president. host: we will move on to economic news this morning with bloomberg and others reporting that treasury secretary tim geithner will delay currency report on china, saying, sidestepping a decision on whether to accuse china on manipulating the value of its

currency. also, and the economic news, " the new york times" with its executive pay section, signs of a slide. it has dedicated several pages to executive pay. who was at the top, how much they're getting, and whether or not their salaries have changed. this is as the congress and white house decides whether or not to pass laws curbing ceo, executive pay. topping the business best-seller list is "the big short" by michael lewis. he also tops the best-seller list in the non-fiction for "the new york times" book reviewed this morning, and is our guest this week at 8:00 p.m. this evening.

florida, karen, on the republican line. caller: hi, good morning. i'm calling from pembroke pines. host: are you making political donations? caller: this year i might be. i donated and supported a certain person when he was running for governor -- crist. i am an independent. the only problem is, i'm not sure he would be able to get anything done if he gets into congress because we have moved from a moderate congress to the republican party becoming very far right and vitriolic. i do not like the hate that i feel there. i do not like the reversal of our country back to the hate and vitriol of the 1950's and 1960's.

i was not a big a obama supporter, but i do like with the guy is doing in office. he is really tried to get things done. this idea to get out all moderates could do not support him is bringing the country to a standstill. i'm watching this guy in may support the democratic party this time around. host: jim, oklahoma. caller: love you guys, have been a "washington journal" junkie for a couple of decades. i hear all these people screaming about obama with their big rallies, talking about the constitution. i would like to know where you people were when george bush -- a sovereign nation without the consent of congress -- our constitution states explicitly that you must declare war before you can go to war. they did not. every single senator, every

single congressman who voted to allow george bush to illegally invaded nation -- host: ok, but what about making political donations? caller: i have called senator coburn and senator inhofe to send me a list of their donors from healthcare executives and both offices hung up on me telling me they did not like my town. in oklahoma you can i get on the ballot if you are an independent, a green party candidate. the two parties have not allowed. i will not give to them. i do not think that anyone should. the only people who are giving to them are the ones who want something out of it. they don't change. they want everything to stay the same.

to the gentleman, the combat veteran who said that obama is a communist. no, he is not. if anything, he is a socialist, but it beats the fascists that george bush brought into the white house. host: mark, independent line, connecticut. caller: thank you for c-span, by the way. i have made a contribution for the first time in my life to a very brilliant businessman here in connecticut by the name of peter schiff running to peterdodd in the senate. i like what he is about. back in 2006 or so he was in the news, predicting exactly what the not done would be about and when it would happen. he was right.

the people on wall street were laughing at him. if anyone is interested come on youtube, watch him -- his name is peter schiff. the other person running in conn is linda mcmahon. i have seen a couple of commercials, but have not looked at her closely it. i have only given to one can it so far, a republican. i really hope that we can change this country. we need some fresh people in the congress. i agree with the previous caller that we need to clean house, the incumbents in the congress, both sides. host: mark, did you vote for president obama? caller: no, i did not host: held out for christopher dodd? caller: no, i did not. host: you're calling on the pimm line. have you always been a

republican? caller: most of the time. in the past, it has been so long i don't even remember having voted for any democrats. host: good morning. ron? caller: washington has taken enough money. i would you donate to any of these parties? host: have you ever made a political donation? caller: absolutely not, and i never would. they take enough money in taxes anyway. host: do you vote? caller: yes, every election. host: always for a republican? caller: no, i voted for clinton who think was a great president. right now there's a huge divide in the country between the parties. the democratic party is going in the wrong direction. the guy before called him a socialist, but with socialism you are on the way to communism. it is just like libertarianism. host: what did think about the rnc and how they have been

spending money they have received from donors? caller: they are spinning around. both parties have a problem. we need improvements in the government. obviously, they're not listening to the people. host: should there be a third party? should the tea party become a third-party movement? caller: yes. thomas jefferson said there should never be only two parties. host: so, are you supporting them and their candidates? caller: yes, they are conservative enough. in a conservative, especially fiscally conservative. this government is spending too much money. they're spending for children, and children spinning them into debt. host: one more phone call. plymouth, massachusetts. caller: good morning. happy easter. yes, i have made political

donations to individuals now. i used to done it to the party, but do not particularly care to have my money go to people like senator ben nelson of nebraska, or blanche lincoln of arkansas, or some of these who have been willing to hold america hostage while they squeeze the golden pot for their own benefit. it is obscene. i have listened to some of the people calling to do. now that i'm getting older and beginning to contemplate probably ending up in a nursing home, i think about the possibility of wearing a diaper, eating baby food, and having to listen to some of these people who call our president and communist -- [laughter] -- and think he should be impeached as a result. probably the healthcare bill should have included government- funded assisted suicide.

host: we will leave it there. ahead, talk about what is ahead in politics and congress with jonathan strong. we'll talk about congress, politics, and the weeks ahead. first, a look at the sunday shows. >> topics will include the economy, health care, politics, and national security issues. the guests on the "repress" will include christina romer, former homeland security secretary michael chertoff, conn. independent joe lieberman who chairs the senate, and security and governmental affairs committee, and house, and security member from california, jane harman. on "this week", from the national economic council, and former chairman greenspan.

hosted by chris wallace -- republican whip, jon kyl, arlen specter, and california republican and congressman kevin mccarthy who is the recruitment chairman with the national republican congressional committee. on the "face the nation" you will hear the sociology professor for georgetown university, and also the reporter and correspondent they sanger, and several others. and on "state of the union" lawrence summers, and with michael orrin. you can listen to all five talk shows at noon eastern on c-span is radio talk show. >> all this month, see the

winners of the studentscam documentary competition. middle school students from 45 states submitted videos on one of the country's greatest strengths or challenges. wash the top winning video every morning. it will be just before "washington journal" -- and that a 30 p.m., meet the students and made them. for preview visit the website. >> the minute that the wall street firms were in the business of harvesting middle- class and lower middle class americans for their home equity value, and making loans to them against it, there was a natural risk of abuse. >> tonight, my coldlewis on the subprime mortgage crisis. his latest is open with a big short." is also the author of several other books. he was the author of a book

which was the basis for the movie starring sandra bullock. >> this weekend on c-span2, this author on inventing the idea of a white race, and the history of white people. later, the ambassador to the u.s.s.r. on mikhail's role. and from the virginia festival of the books, rebecca skloot. find the entire schedule on booktv.org. >> if you have a process where it takes years to get an answer, and you are bogged down in the courts, which is what is threatening the industry now, that is not a good answer for anyone, and certainly does not make the agency affected.

former congressman on calling for the federal government to take a fresh look at communications policy. monday night. "washington journal" continues. host: jonathan is our border with the dailycaller. congress is in recess right now. what they doing back in their districts? what is the agenda when they return? guest: many people think that members of congress are lazy and always taking vacations, but when you work in washington they're working pretty hard at home over the brakes. they are doing all kinds of events in their districts, at least most of them. town halls, meetings, county fairs, or breakfasts. they're usually pretty busy at home, getting a feel for what constituents are thinking. host: when they return, what is the agenda? guest: the number one thing will

be financial reform. that's what we're hearing. they also have climate change legislation they might get to, and few other things. host: climate change is an issue brought up by one of our callers. today in a story it said it has a pretty good chance of passing. what is the timeline for when it could come up? in your analysis, it doesn't look like it could pass? guest: yes, i am surprised to hear that. i covered it closely before i was at the dailycaller. the chamber of commerce is inching towards potential is supporting this bill that the try partisan trio of -- thetripartisan -- the

tripartisan groups are working on. yes, you could get passage. host: this person broke the story with this headline -- concerning the rnc. there are stories this morning in "the washington post" -- a front-page story about his role in the rnc. it says he is not likely to lose his job. what are you hearing? guest: we have heard the same thing. he is fairly insulated from any external removal. they're so far has been no indication issue that he would consider resigning over this incident, or those from this week. i think he has some immunity

from these complaints, but it does not mean that republicans are not unhappy and may not take other steps to marginalize him even further within the party. host: paul risk reports in the baltimore paper that is not just a the rnc has been lavishly. he points to some data that shows that the dnc has spent some $200,000 for kickers, etc. -- forcaterers, etc.. how did you come across this? guest: but party spend a lot of money on accommodations for high and the owners. there is no doubt about that. those costs do include hotels, catering. in reviewing filings in recent months, my understanding was that it was easier to find eye-popping expenses in the rnc

's disbursements. they are the minority party. they do not have the white house, senate, or congress as an attractive reason to donate. the argument would be they need to draw in the high end of donors and that helps them to do that. host: in covering congress the way that you do, it is congress in campaign mode? is every member try to get out there to hold as many fund- raisers as possible? guest: yes, and if you remember the eric massa incident, he had complained about fund-raising for five or six hours per day. of the freshmen democrats said yes, that is about right. maybe not five hours per day, but we're constantly under the gun to make phone calls. the internal legal on capitol hill is his across the street making fun calls.

the parties both have facilities for you can make these fund- raising phone calls in between votes and meetings. it happens all day long, every day when congress is in session. host: where is the pressure coming from to raise more and more money? the cost of the house seat here says it has gone up 49%. for a senate seat it costs 60% more. where is the pressure coming from? guest: i do not know where you would say it is in totality. that people spending more and more on campaigns. whether it means the race is a more competitive, i do not know. it is driving a behavior in d.c. that people are raising funds more and more aggressively. host: does the leadership put pressure on rank and file? must they meet a certain number? what is the strategy?

guest: there is pressure from leadership. there are lists and amount you are supposed to raise for the party. as far as i have seen, it does impact you what you're trying to climb your way up. the fund raising numbers will be a big part of your climbing ranks. host: south carolina, republican line, you are the first phone call. caller: good morning. actually, this is south dakota. i am a tea party member. we're not out there to compete with the democrats or republicans. we are made up of both parties. we are here to inform people of what is going on as far as bureaucrats and usage, and people making a mockery out of

our government. my question is, you have enough bureaucrats, and you cannot really blame the media for trying to get the money out of politics because that is what is all about, and it is a money game -- and so, what is your idea as far as getting the public informed on real issues? host: what do mean by that? could you give an example? caller: let's go to my own congressman. stephanie lives in texas with her husband. she does not even live in south dakota. she has introduced bills for texas. yet the people are not even informed. they're out there raising money for her because she has her blog. she has a south dakota city

address. host: i do know what you're getting at here. maybe we should talk about a the dailycaller and what you're trying to do. guest: we're just trying to add news to the discussion, and really create some interesting stories. the number one rubric for success is whether or not the story is interesting. we are truly driven to produce that kind of news that demands to be read. host: you say interesting. some viewers might ask about accuracy? guest: that is obviously part of it. you cannot be a functioning news organization if you're not concerned with accuracy. host: the co-founder is tucker carlson how involved is see in the day to day reporting? what does he s