come 88 and 89 when james madison was running for a seat in the house of representatives the virginia legislature was hostile to him and tried to gerrymander him out of a seat. they created a district was oddly shaped full of people they suspected were hostile to him and he almost didn't get elected but the truth was she was a persuasive fellow and prevailed by about 300 votes. >> what's the importance -- and you read about this in your book the placement of state capitals? >> that's part of a larger shift that's going on in the whole period i argue from 1776 to 1860. from an understanding that representation should be based on geographic units on land and territory, a shift from geography to demography from land to people, and so there was a lot of controversy during and after the revolution about where state capitals should be located and most of the states moved their capitals to new locations during this period and what i found interestingly enough is that smaller states put their capital in the geographic center of the state. it's a small state some people would have equal ability to travel

the forefront of observing that. they were elected within each column. virginia legislature, 67 legislature, new hampshire had a legislature. these lower houses had delegates that were elected from towns and counties. there was no sense that more people should have more representatives. it was all done on the basis of geographic units and territorial units. one county from represent to five. county from virginia would have two representatives. what happens when the state's wrote their first pick constitutions, and they did that during the american revolution from 1776 to 1780 cell of the states began to experiment with a new form of representation in which representation was proportionate to population more people would get representatives, and that is the innovative idea, the experiment to representation that james madison incorporated in the virginia plan that was submitted to the philadelphia convention in 1787 for debate. obviously there are some winners and losers when you have that kind of system of representation. in the previous congress, the congress under the artic

legislature. virginia had a legislature. they were elected from towns and counties but there was no sense that more people should have more representatives. it was all done on the basis of the gee graphic units, territorial units. and so one county in virginia would send two representatives, whether it had 30,000 people or 1,000 people. and what happened -- their first state constitutions and they did that during the american revolution from 1776 to 1780. some of the states began to experiment with a new form of representation in which representation was proportionate to population. so more people in a certain area would get more representatives. and that's the innovative area that james madison incorporated in the virginia plan that was submitted to the philadelphia convention in 1787 for debate. but, obviously, there's some winners and losers when you have that kind of system of representation. in the previous congress, the congress under the articles of confederation, each state received one vote regardless of population. and that kind of equal representation honored the fact that states had been existence for over a century and a half. had a corporate ident

the constitution of virginia was ratified, jefferson was given the opportunity to remedy its defects. what remains intact comes in after the declaration of independence associate, the virginia legislaturefferson to head a committee responsible for proposing reforms to the statute that they enacted. for three years he was immersed in the reformation of the loss of the constitution and to the new organization principles of our government. he and his fellow revisers as they were called to give an unprecedented opportunity as he put it to take up the whole body statutes of virginia laws to leave out everything obsolete or improper and reduce the whole event as a moderate a as the air into the plain language of common sense. but guess what happened? three years of hard work on the new statutes and in all cases were far more progressives in what the fellow assembly even cared for, even if the new statues for truer to the spirit of the orchid nation and principles in government and the declaration itself. while this discouraging experience further cemented the political status quo, jefferson was the never say die kind of guy continued to scope a draft constitution. and while it was tailored f

. >> winning the virginia senate and having a republican legislature and governor for only the second time in history would be a big deal and give a little bit more wind behind the sales of whoever our nominee is. >> romney did his park shaking hands. it's hoped votes like this energize voters. >> this is mitt romney calling. it really is. >> reporter: there could be something in for romney if he wins the nomination. >> anyone can come in early and show they are supporting candidates. it will bring a good ground regular. their message, if virginia democrats do well november 8th, it will help the president next year. >> i think it's important. if it stays in democratic hands, then our president can get reelected. >> reporter: they felt like a political start when president bill clinton comes for a fund-raiser. >> julie carey live for us in fairfax. thank you. >>> if you or your child attends college, there's no doubt you noticed, tuition and fees are going up. costs are up more than 8% this year at four-year public schools. nearly 9% of two-year public schools. it's a nonprofit with a

virginia, ohio and michigan. it's been the -- let's look at a -- are either on the books or been pushed by state legislatures, includingn-american voter turnout jumped 20% between 2004 and 2008. this year the republican legislature tried to pass an i.d. law. this year the state legislature passed a voter i.d. law that bev purdue vetoed. another big swing state, ohio, a 15% jump in african-american voter turnout between 2000 and 2008. this year they passed a strict photo i.d. law that was eventually blocked by the state senate. rev, back to you. >> thanks, mara. folks, make no mistake about it. it's a coordinated attempt to defeat president obama. let me bring in andrew gillum, thank you for joining us. >> thank you for having me. i hope you're well. >> eel well. your group is breaking a new record on voter suppression tonight. >> one of the central ten either is the idea -- there is widespread voter fraud going on across this country is simply not true, not evidenced. the well documented cases from state to state, in even one as important as when the bush administration went into office, the justice department conducte

that jefferson had dreamed of it and oddly enough, boone new jefferson because boone was in the virginia legislature when jefferson was the governor. boom was the courier between jefferson and george rogers clark when jefferson was begging for fossils from the west, any sort of plants, animals, curiosities, anything that would inform jefferson about what was there across the mountains. he wanted to know everything about that world, and he wanted to possess it. [inaudible] >> is this better? thank you. indeed, one of the parts in your book i just absolutely loved was the discussion of jefferson. constantly writing george rogers clark, you know, who is up to his neck in chinese and british, you know, fighting tooth and nail to hold onto the old northwest. and it's like clark, you've got to give me some mastodon bones. i've heard they're out there on the kentucky river. and you just, but pack them really carefully. i just can't imagine that. these people are hanging on by the fingernails and jefferson once those bones. >> oh, the world is changing. the last year, to use of the american revolution, and

the northern virginia horse farm area. certain counties, some of them known to be illegal. there are all these things appear that our insurance rates. [inaudible] they have had the discussions. the legislature done their homework and said these are the rules. this is the insurance. this is the care guideline, etc. i think the biggest message from what happened in ohio is states have to have discussions. they have to determine what is appropriate care. they have to -- you know, people who own these animals should probably have some kind of liability insurance. the discussion has to happen and it is not happening. before you and host: answer, want to remind our viewers that -- host: before you answer, what to remind our viewers that virginia is one of the states that allows some exotic animals. guest: liability insurance is often one of the requirements in states that regulate the spirit voices, in my mind, are a bit different than exotic animals in terms of the type of care that we can provide to those animals. like i said, i want to stress that i believe no regulation can properly handle the private ownership of exotic animals. at least the bears, the cats, the large caps, primates, and the

the state legislature. come on. >>host: we got the point*. howard dean? >>guest: i don't know that much. i would be happy to take the other side of the best. >>host: fairfax virginia last year we spent 5.5 trillion for all government spending. if 20% of that is wasted it is $1 trillion. we also have 2.5 jillian ongpin direct cost for regulatory tax system and the excessive legal system cost. it is probably $1 trillion of waste there as well. 2 trillion of waste each year that is more than the accumulated wealth of the bottom 50 percent of the population. after a year and a half it is more that group within the top richest people in the whole country. >>host: what is your point*? >> caller: we are wasting more in government related cost in 1.5 years they and the accumulated wealth of the bottom 155 million people plus the top 400 richest people. >>host: any response? >>guest: the only response is people think the federal government waste money but there are reasons for every single program and why they never get cut. that is a bipartisan problem. george bush cut taxes but never got around to cutting spending why the deficit is so enormous and the same thing under d

virginia? >> i would love to have him come. i invited him several times. i would love to have him raise money and help win these elections. we got all the legislature rupp in 44 days. we are trying to work out dates but he has an open invitation. >> we make an endorsement? >> not before the november election. i will see what happens but i am not in any hurry. being the republican governor chairman -- what is more important is the endorsement they get from a large number of the american people as opposed to individual governor's. i keep an eye on it and i am monitoring how they do and how they express ideas that are important. >> any interest moving your primary up? you may point in your speech -- >> democrats and republicans had an agreement to get penalized in a number of a electoral votes. we are on supertuesday. .. said she planned to use red, white and blue energy to promote american security and then have a comprehensive plan that will be honest with the american people about how to get us out of debt and reduce the deficits in short order. i think that is going to dominate the selection. this would not be an election that hope and change her