i was not able to talk to lloyd bentsen because he was ill when i got around to it.n public statements he made to reporters after the debate when he was asked whether that was prepared line he said no. it just came to me. however, some of the folks around lloyd bentsen later said we had heard him say this before. we had heard dan quayle say something about john f. kennedy before that -- the experience thing was the point dan quayle had more experience in congress and in government than john f. kennedy did when he was elected president. they were ready for this. i think we just have to leave it to here again to two different views of what happened. >> host: talk a little bit about the negotiations that going to -- i know you are not part of them. you clearly know about them. the candidates just don't show up at the podium and get ready to debate. it is a grueling process that their campaigns go through. like peace talks. >> guest: absolutely. the thing everybody has to remember is the negotiations are by two groups of people. one with only one purpose. and that is to

he is the lloyd bentsen share of government and business relations and professor of government here at the university of texas. at boston former is a character actor of the joint economic committee for the u.s. congress to read some of his books include created on equal the crisis in american pay and unbearable cost greenspan and the economics of empire. as a public policy example what do you think about how the obama administration interactive with a car companies with gm and chrysler to bail them out as we say in the colloquial? >> they help preserve the company's and transform them and go through the bankruptcy process and i think the was appropriate. but we now have a same approach should of been taken to the large banks. certain ones should have been taken over under the authority that the government has under the insurance corporation's authority basically and restructured and downsized. that sector is too big and it is not serving any useful purpose now which is a part of the reason we are still in the doldrums. >> what is your relationship to john kenneth galbraith? >> he was m

dan quayle had a famous misstep with lloyd bentsen, the famous you are no jack kennedy. they were not quite the sharpest people and therefore a momentary stammer that can happen to anyone was really damaging. >> do you think that rick perry can be the candidate? >> anything is possible that this is very unlikely. mitt romney is the only obvious candidate. we have seen the conservative party looking for some way to deny that reality but it becomes more and more likely. >> what does this mean for herman cain, who himself is facing allegations of sexual harassment? >> he is the person who is more conservative than mitt romney and therefore a target for the tea party republicans. first, there was michele bachmann. then, rick perry seemed to be the savior and then he had these debate misadventures. this will be good for herman cain and it will put rick perry even further down. in the meantime, mitt romney has advantages. >> the party does not seem to want to embrace him. >> he is the person who has run before. he has never flapped in the debates. he has the pedigree. he was t

of texas was appointed secretary of the treasury and i wrote a poem called a short history of lloyd bentsen'srelations with special interest groups, which was the man is known for pro quo quidness. in texas, that's how folks do bidness. [laughter] >> i kind of knew bidness was coming actually. [laughter] >> $50 a line. >> $50 a line is not bad. >> no, no. >> that's pretty gooo. >> and, you know, and we had two bush presidents, one of them got a two-line poem when his college transcript... >> i remember that, right. >> ...from ale, you know, to no apparent effect on the campaign. and it was: obliviously, on he sails, with marks not quite as good as quayle's. [laughter] >> also $50 a line. >> fifty a line. [laughter] got our money's worth out of that one. >> i had kind of a soft spot for george h.w. bush so i wrote... >> sure. >> ...i wrote a longer poem about him when he left the white house, which was, fair. you know, george bush is not a good rhyme. >> you'd think it would, a lot of things would rhyme with bush... >> exactly, but... >> ...you'd think. >> tush rhymes with... >> not, not a wor

i never heard anything out of lloyd bentsen and others when we did veteran's death. from someone who had never been in the military. in immigration, i was called a bigot and a racist. that bill brought 3 million people out of the dark. i was proud of it. it never got far because the right and left said it was a national i.d. card. people admired debts and courage. -- people admire guts and courage. they may vilify you, but they will admire you. i have been the toast of the town and at the bottom of the list. it is a funny place. you can be on the cover of "time" one month and be doing it six months later. [laughter] grover norquist has people in thrall. that means your mind has been captured. you are in bondage with your soul. he said his hero was ronald reagan. i said that he raised taxes 11 times in a years. he said he did not like that. i said why do you think he did it? i said he probably did it to make the country run. let's just look at the aarp. that ad is teh most disgusting ad i have ever seen. i do not know what those people got paid. they say they are 50 m

and never heard anything of lloyd bentsen or bob dole when we did veteran stuff. immigration, was called a bigot and a racist yet that bill brought 3 million people out of the dark know. i was very proud of that. but it never got very far because the right and the left said that this was a national id card. that came from the right and the left. people admire guts and courage. they fight you know. they may vilify you know. but they will admire you. i have been the toast of the town one day and toast the next. it is a funny place. "time"on the cover of one day and six months later you are doing it. [laughter] he has people enthralled. that is a terrible phrase. linking use it. .- lincoln used it he said my hero is ronald reagan and he raised taxes 11 times know. why do you suppose? he said, do not know. probably to make the country run. another set idea. let's look at a r p. this morning, i saw the ad. it is the most disgusting at i have ever seen. i do not know what the people that paid, especially the actors know. but i will tell you this note. they got well-paid