that emanuel cleaver would've been the mayor of kansas city grew up in texas which is about 35, 40 milesoutside texas. i know more about this stuff than i should. it's were very close.

joining me now is representative emanuel cleaver, chairman of the congressional black caucus, and jared bernestein. thank you for being here tonight. >> good to be with you. >> thank you. >> congressman, let me start with you, how can romney run on a business record he doesn't like answering questions about? >> he can't do it successfully. i was the mayor of kansas city, missouri when bain capital cannibalized a company there. we offered everything we could for a government. we offered them everything except the chiefs and the royals. they still pulled out and took all of the money. i'm not trying to say he's not a good guy, he probably is, but bain capital did not create jobs, it created wealth. for a real clear reason, it created wealth for him, himself. he never should have brought up bain capital as an example of what he could do as president in now that he has, he'll have to deal with that. he brought it up, the president didn't. >> and we're going to have a gs former employer on in the next segment. jared, let me go to you. let me show you this full screen here about the economy,

emanuel cleaver, who is from missouri who had been the mayor of kansas city, grew up in texas, which is about 30 or 40 miles outside of dallas. he is a native texan. i know more than i should about this stuff. he was very close with cleaver. he was an agreement with cleaver that it would be good thing to put money towards poverty regions. he was in step with him on that. >> this is the book. "do not ask what good we do." robert draper is the author. free press is the publisher. thank you for being on the program. >> pleasure in it in a few moments, arlen specter on his career in the state of politics. and a little less than an hour, author john shaw on richard lugar. after that, if a party on senator ellison said. later, we will re-air "washington journal" on behind the scenes of the 112th congress in the 2010 midterm elections. >> several evidence to tell you about tomorrow morning. the committee continues investigation into his corporations possible ties to british politicians. that is here on c-span 2 at 6:30 a.m. eastern. also on c-span 2, at 830 eastern, bloomberg posed an event

emanuel cleaver. it says, the issue of race has already raised its unprincipled head.ar, republicans are going to blame president obama for being black. they are paleolithic who know that race baiting still works. when he says race baiting still works, do you believe that? do you believe it is something that is still very effective in american politics? >> yes, i do. and a part of what is happening, post what we experienced in 2008 with all the hope and the change. with all the promise of president obama's election. essentially what we have now is a back lash which i in my writing often refer to as white redemption 2.0. which i know is a little aggressive but it describes what occurred in american politics. be just in american society but american politics in particular. between 1866 and 1877. essentially, you had this back lash that saw the rise of the ku klux klan against african-americans voting and then voting in their own electoral officials. and essentially, what we now have is this back lash against this african-american president. it is insidious, the way that

. >> 13 minutes before the top of the hour congressman emanuel cleaver said of the congressional blackus will join us here in full court press when this monday march 26th, surveying the political scene on the republican side, democratic side with washington post national political reporter, nia malik henderson talkking your calls at 866-55 nia malika. i don't know anybody else with a hyphenated first name. how did that come about? >> my parents couldn't make up their minds. i actually hyphenated my own name. i had this short first name, n. ia and a long last name. i felt like my first name needed company. i hyphenated it. >> you are not married? >> people think i am married because i have a hyphenated first name. >> i was going to say, let's say you marry joe smith. you would be a nia malika henderson-smith. >> right. >> you would have two hyphenated names. >> a long by-line. >> the obama campaign doing nothing but raising money right now. >> that's right. >> and sharpening their message. >> sharpening their message. >> i have the impression they are ready to leave outed of the box. >>

in his presence many times and delighted today to welcome him to bring this word, the reverend emanuel cleavere great fifth district of missouri and chairman of the congressional black caucus. let us welcome him as we proceed this morning. [applause] >> amen. amen. we are very pleased to see you and we know that there has been bad weather as a result of the hurricane and a number of people had flights delayed. in fact my son just arrived. he had to spent the night in cincinnati because they stopped all flights coming from the other side of the mississippi. there is another side incidentally. [laughter] we'll make sure that there is no confusion here. and also i think it's important for me to start out by letting you know that the congressional black caucus in its 41st year is an organization that now boasts of having 43 members. when the caucus cast original was originally formed there were 13 members and few if any thought that one day we would have 4 members plus a former member, a former member, now sits in the white house and a few would have dared even dreamed that that could happen. so i