any american congress person what are they engaged in insider trading kickbacks vote rigging gerrymandering bribing yeah. well these kids should be passing with flying colors forgiven and. given them for the plagiarism for the cheating of these harvard kids you know larry summers remember he was president of harvard might be back there again you know he was he's actually funding some venture capital projects now using is insider trading contacts of course after being booted for making some massages comments a while back but if a harbor as you point out is the funnel through which a lot of the top crooks in america come through it's a regular hotbed of legacy clip talkers well let's talk about that legacy legacy admit rate at thirty percent so these are children of alumni of harvard and radcliff they receive four times the regular admission rate and twelve to thirteen percent of all students are legacy so just like that woman gina rinehart she inherited her well had nothing to do with her. and here are these people as well who get into harvard like george w. bush he went to harvard we obviou

first, the gerrymandered system of drawing congressional districts to create safe districts for republican and democratic incumbents, leaving most representatives being totally beholden to their party's most hard-core ideological base. second, way the elections that sleep one party into power after another each season with ideological zeal, making it difficult to sustain policies and programs over time. third, congressional power brokers, particularly committee chairs, who might have been partisan, but also people who could make deals and force agreements on their committees and their caucus. fourth, a 24-7 digital media environment that provides a forum and wide dissemination for the most extreme and it vitriolic opinions lead to a coarsening and dumbing down of the national political dialogue. as a result of these and other polarizing factors, the moderate center, the foundation of our political system, is not holding. moderation is equated with lacking principles. compromise means selling out. just at a time when this country needs bipartisan strategies that can and must be sustained th

first, the highly gerrymandered system of drawing congressional districts to create safe districts for both republican and democratic incumbents, leading most elected representatives being totally beholden to their parties most hard-core ideological base. second, wave elections that sweep one party into power after another. each with ideological zeal and the ripeness of their agenda making it difficult to sustain policies and programs consistently over time. third, the decline of congressional power brokers, particularly the committee chairs, who might have been tough partisans but were also people who could make deals and enforce those agreements on their committees and their caucus. and fourth, a 24/7 digital media environment that provides a forum and wide dissemination for the most extreme vitriolic opinions, leading i believe to a coarsening and dumbing down of the national political dialogue. as a result of these and other polarizing factors, the moderate center, the foundation of our political system, is not holding. moderation is now equated with lacking principles, compromise

the first is the gerrymandered congressional districts. it is a far more problematic situation that many voters don't have an opportunity to participate effectively in their members of congress. this election is over before it begins in the general election. in fredericksburg, you are looking at a republican district, and democratic candidates do not win here. that creates a real problem for most voters, because the decision of who will be in congress is made by a tiny i segment of the electorate. the first problem is the way that these lines are drawn, they are drawn for partisan advantage. republicans control virginia, they draw lines to help republicans. democrats control maryland, and they draw lines to help democrats. on and on it goes. that is the first problem. the second problem is the role that money place in politics. it is really problematic to imagine that politicians can legislate dispassionately when that they received extraordinary amounts of money from individual campaign contributions. i'm not talking necessarily about the

it's much easier to win in gerrymandered congressional district than statewide. >> rick, in the days the legitimate rape comments todd akin took out an ad trying to apologize for them. i wonder if he regrets opening the pan dor's box which is the gop's position on women's health care and reproductive rights? >> no. i don't think -- in terms of pro life todd akin is not going to back down. he is pro life. unapologetically pro life. >> not necessarily the abortion question, but the question of forcible rape and what is legitimate rape. >> al leshgs, he apologized for that. it was nonsensical. i condemned it, everybody condemned it in the republican party. could they get beyond it and seemed like they couldn't. the senate -- the senate torl committee will lose the senate because they can't defend their positions. it won't be because of todd akin. by the way, if you look at chair mccaskill who voted for obama care, very unpopular in this state, voted for every tax increase, debt limit increase to the tune of $6.9 trillion in the last six years, todd voted against every debt limit increas

let me tell you about gerrymandering. there is a provision in the constitution that every single representative and senator must be an inhabitant of the state in which they are elected. the idea is very simple. i'm supposed to know you and your interests and concerns so i can articulate them. well, what happens when the parties control what the district lines look like and they draw the lines for party advance, i will give you one example, and this is very embarrassing for me tonight. i am a city gentleman. i am a complete city gentleman. groceries come from the grocery store and whoever heard of a font? i represented oklahoma city, a big city. they read to my district the middle of oklahoma all the way up to the kansas line, half halfway across to arkansas and a big upside down letter l. here is what happened. for years, this is what is embarrassing. i said look at what they did for me. they didn't do it to me at all. you are supposed to know them and they are supposed to know you. i was a city guy representing wheat far

redistricting, gerrymandering. there's a provision provision in the constitution that says that every single representative and senator must be an inhabitant of the state from which they are elected. the idea is very simple. if you are my constituents, i'm supposed to know you, know your interest, know your concerns so i can articulate them. you're supposed to know me and my reputation in the community. what happens in the parties control with the district lines looks like an draw the lines for party advantage. all you view an example and this is very embarrassing for me to admit. i am a complete city did good to me, groceries come from the grocery store. whoever heard of a farm. i've represented oklahoma city, a big city. i was the first republican elected in the district since 1928 and drove the other party crazy. their teacher from oklahoma to the kansas line halfway across arkansas, a big upside down al qaeda way. democrats did that to make republicans to justice while. but here's what happened. i said look wha

. >> guest: from a tree to one want our viewers come out of congressional democrats gerrymandering? >> guest: jeanneau, i don't know that gerrymandering is necessarily democrat cause or republican minus or vice versa because i think that both parties frankly is that process in political ways. i've been much more a proponent in this area of independent commissions and citizen groups to do retrying of lines that have to take place based on population concerns. i'm also a proponent of the voting rights act because it is important to protect the rights and interests in the voting rights of minority populations and african-american populations, latino populations that have been so affected by the way the lines are drawn. but i wouldn't give one party or the other a plus or minus some not because i think there's a lot of guilt to go around when it comes to reach agreements for political purpose. >> host: to share this line. big into double-dip the gop plan of attack. state republican party chairman adcock said the gop has a strong shot at defeating entrenched westchester need a lovely aft

>> guest: gerrymandering began early in american history.nders were of two mines. they felt that it would be a good thing if you serve in the senate and went back to your house and were not a lifetime professional politician. on the other hand they discussed putting term limits in the constitution and they did not do it. >> host: some e-mails -- i don't know if this is something you know about but i thought i would ask. these are tweets. are you involved in the efforts to save the united states ocean liner in philadelphia? >> guest: i am not but one of my son's classmates in school is the granddaughter of the architect. it is a very good thing. the s s united states, this enormous ship that is now writing in philadelphia. i hope it can be saved. >> host: do you have any advice for authors writing history? >> guest: thank you for everyone calling the doctor which is an honorary degree the thank you all the same. >> guest: advice on writing history. >> guest: on how one should start writing history. >> host: i will let you take it any way you

gerrymandering began very early in american history.rs were essentially of two minds. they fill of softically thought that -- philosophically thought it would be a good thing if you served in the senate and then went back to your plow, that you were not a lifetime, professional politician. on the other hand, they discussed the possibility of putting term limits in the constitution, and they did not do it. so go figure. >> host: we've been getting some e-mails from -- [inaudible] and i don't know if this is something you're involved in or know anything about, but since he sent a couple, i thought i would ask. these are tweets, actually. are you involved in the efforts to save the united states, the ocean liner in philadelphia? >> guest: i'm not, but one of my son's classmates in school, his mother is the granddaughter of the architect, and i think it's a very good thing, the ss united states, the enormous ship that is, essentially, now rotting on the docks of philadelphia. i hope it can be saved. >> host: dr. beschloss, do you have any a

gerrymandering began very early in american history.rs were essentially of two minds. they fill of softically thought that -- philosophically thought it would be a good thing if you served in the senate and then went back to your plow, that you were not a lifetime, professional politician. on the other hand, they discussed the possibility of putting term limits in the constitution, and they did not do it. so go figure. >> host: we've been getting some e-mails from -- [inaudible] and i don't know if this is something you're involved in or know anything about, but since he sent a couple, i thought i would ask. these are tweets, actually. are you involved in the efforts to save the united states, the ocean liner in philadelphia? >> guest: i'm not, but one of my son's classmates in school, his mother is the granddaughter of the architect, and i think it's a very good thing, the ss united states, the enormous ship that is, essentially, now rotting on the docks of philadelphia. i hope it can be saved. >> host: dr. beschloss, do you have any a

third, that study focused on congressional races where there is a lot of gerrymandering so most races to it could make a 3% difference in the races. a 3% difference in many cases will determine the outcome, could control the outcome in terms of the house. finally, i can go back to campaigns i was in. i mean, you take the kennedy campaign against romney in 1994, the bain ads and they didn't look like ads, they just looked like people coming on television and talking to you, had a profound impact on that race. and there was a huge amount of empirical evidence. what sasha is writing about, and i'm in the process of reading the book to review it, what sasha is writing about is very interesting. it's a development that i think gives campaigns a powerful new tool, but it's not -- it's not a secret sauce, but it's certainly not a replacement sauce. you know, i think of these guys who -- political scientists who say campaigns don't matter. >> right. >> the outcome for the presidency is predetermined from the beginning. we are never going to have the experiment where one -- >> well, that's tru

host: here is a tweet-- guest: i don't know that gerrymandering is necessarily democratic or republicanause. both parties use that process in political ways. i have been much more of a proponent in the area of independent commissions and citizen groups who do re-join of lies that have to take place to to population concerns. i'm a proponent of the voting rights because i think it protects the interests and voting rights of the minority population that are so affected by the with the lines are drawn. i would not give one party or the other a plus or minus on that because i think there is a lot of guilt to go around but comes to re-drawing lines for political purposes. host: here is a line from " the new york times" -- guest: pensions are earned and i think we have members of congress who either served as elected officials and received a pension and we have members of congress who have worked in other areas of government. and received a pension. i don't have a problem with that because pensions are burned. what we really have to look at is the way we are protecting pensions and protecting

some structural a highly gerrymandered system with both incumbents those beholden to the hard core ideological base. second wave election sweeping one-party with the agenda never making making -- making a difficult to sustain programs over time. a decline of power brokers may have been tough partisans but could make deals and enforce those agreements. and the digital media environment for the most vitriolic opinion leading to a dumbing down of the national political dialogue. is not a holding. it is equated with principles, compromise is means selling out to those that can and must be sustained most of the trends point* in the opposite direction. critical ideas come from thinkers from those on the left and the right to. those laws and policies come from the vital political center as compromise. added time with obstacles that home the inability of some in the political leaders today to step of the ideological cocoon is a threat to the future. but to score the ideological points following the presidential election we'll make the compromises necessary to put the country back in order. with americ

but that's a creation of the press and the gerrymandering where you can't give specific answers and stillected, and then if you're a good leader, you lead. and if you're a bad leader, you don't lead. but it has little to do with what you said before. and you see both of them. i'm sympathetic to them that if they were to explicitly say what they're going to do on immigration, health care, we all want somebody to balance the budget except i don't want to hear that you're going to cut my benefits and raise my taxes, and that's in the end what has to happen. so this goes on. it's a game. it feeds the news media. it gives us something to talk about. and in the end, i think people look at the two candidates, and they don't listen to any of these issues. they're just in their heart of hearts, i like him or her. i don't like him or her. >> mr. mayor, hearing that you have to go on and give a proclamation for a bubble guppies day -- >> the opening of the barclays center in brooklyn. major league -- >> best mayor in the history of new york. >> ever. >> i think you might be. >> thank you so much. >>

one is gerrymandering of political districts, and now thanks to google maps, it's at the atomic levelit's a polarized congress. we have a media now through near casting so i can get my news from exactly the person or website that reflects my own interests so we don't have to ever meet people who disagree with us, and, of course, money in politics now is is big as all outdoors. that u.s. congress is basically a forum for legalized bribery, okay. you put that all together, and you have a prescription for a deeply divided political system. >> host: is there also a sense that -- of nostalgia that things were really not that great 30 years ago or were they? >> guest: when it comes to parties working together, there was a big difference, and, of course, a big overarching difference was we were in the cold war, and there that was the disciplining force. you couldn't be silly. you couldn't be stay stupid. we had a nuclear gun point the add the head. we loss that discipline. >> host: when you think about china today, where would you put it on the american spectrum? where is china today? >> gue

first, the highly gerrymandered system of drawing congressional districts to create safe districts for both republican and democratic incumbents, leading most elected representatives being totally beholden to the parties most hard-core ideological base. second, wait elections that sweep one part into power after another. etcs with ideological zeal and the ripeness of their agenda making it difficult to sustain policies and programs consistently over time. third, the decline of congressional power brokers, particularly the committee chairs, whom i've been tough partisans but were also people who could make deals and enforce those agreements on their committees and their caucus. and forth, a 24/7 digital media environment that provides a forum and wide dissemination for the most extreme vitriolic opinions, leading i believe to a coarsening and dumbing down of the national political dialogue. as a result of these and other polarizing factors, the moderate center, the foundation of our political system, is not holding. moderation is now equally did with lacking principles, compromise means