evelyn, go ahead with your question or comment for ari berman. >> caller: hi. hello? >> host: we're -- >> caller: hello. >> host: we're listening, ma'am, please go ahead. >> guest: yes, hello. >> caller: thank you. i may be a little bit naive because i find it relatively shocking that the allegation is that the effort to suppress the vote is republican self-interest. i find that shocking because historically both republicans and democrats have supported a large voter turnout. and i find it just incredulous, i'm incredulous that it could be that republicans would, out of self-interest, try to suppress the vote. could you tell me your thoughts? thank you. >> host: evelyn, are you a republican? are you a republican? >> caller: no, i'm a democrat. but i've always been independent -- >> host: thank you, ma'am. >> caller: -- and i've -- thank you. >> guest: so evelyn makes a very good point. there has always been very strong bipartisan consensus for the voting rights act. it was passed by overwhelming support in 1965 and reauthorized by the congress four times with open bip

[applause] >> let me start with ari berman and the implications. i encourage you to read all of the books, for me your book was particularly important because of my own involvement, and attempt in congress to change the decision the supreme court made about the voting rights act that i was cosponsor of that is languishing and hopefully will one day emerge but i want to ask you to talk about the rise of the south after the voting rights act, the rise of the south, historically a democratic region in our country to one that became republican and sent republicans increasing numbers to congress. talk about what happened and how that occurred and how can that be reversed? >> when we first met, ron told me he lost his election in 2014 by 157 votes. anyone who thinks voting doesn't matter, 157 votes. there are three times as many people in this room right now. your minute case study -- you are my new case study why voting matters. it is interesting what happened after the passage of the voting rights act because on the one hand the south did become a lot

i'm going to the journalist fellow at the nation institute, ari berman, he has written articles in aariety of outlets where the magazine, rolling stone is also zero times as you may have heard him on npr today so he has contributed to both msnbc and npr.ck until seated next to him is john nichols who is coming back to the festival. he was here last year and i was able to moderate on his panel ae well. m he is a correspondent reporter writer with many publications on the one we will be outstanding t is that this is a very provocative book about where wee are. assist in the last is samara klar who is an assistant professor at the university of arizona at the college that i graduated from. and it was a time of great being excitement here and it was particularly exciting. she will be one of our three panelists today. so a little at about the books. a book written by john and also robert. and it talks about where we are in our democracy and where the economy of our country is goingr and where it's taking us. and we will take steps to change the way the system works and the economy works,

linda althoff and felipe fernandez ernesto on race in america and politics panel of ari berman on voting rights and tomorrow on independent voters. throughout our live coverage of the tucson festival of books many authors will join us to take your phone calls and comments. on sunday night at night eastern, it's afterwards with michael eric dyson author of the black presidency. barack obama and the politics of race in america. mister dyson interview by april ryan white house correspondence for the american network once you get elected you want to get reelected. it's one thing to be elected the first black president but to get reelected as the first black president maybe even more remarkable. maybe even more difficult and he had to overcome certain barriers because when he ran the first time he had no record. much in terms ofnational politics , he was a senator for a little while but he was a tabula rasa. he was a clean slate on which people could inspire their, dreams, fantasies and project onto his thin body their ideals but now when you got a first term you done stuff that people either

. -- ay's teacher authors and a politics panel with ari berman on voting rights.hout our live coverage the tucson festival of books, many authors will join us to take your phone calls and comments. sunday at 9:00 eastern, afterwards with the author of the "black presidency, barack obama, and the politics of race in america." the practical considerations were once you get elected, you want to be reelected. it is one thing to be elected the first black president, but to be reelected as the first black president may be even more difficult. when he ran the first time, he had no record in terms of national politics. a littlesenator for while. he was a clean slate on which people could put their hopes and fantasies. -- and to project on his body their ideals. but when you have a term, they are supporting you or are critical of you. booktv.org for the complete weekend schedule. >> "washington journal" continues. marcus stanley is a policy director for the group americans for financial reform. with us in this segment to talk about the state of financial reform some five o