How the right is destroying the conversation

About his belief that loud spoken fair -- hardcore rightwing extremists. Are destroying. The Republican Party his new book is called chasing get the book I'll try again chasing Glenn -- a personal experiment in re claiming. Our hijacked political conversation. Michael welcome to WRKO. I think you can literally until. You tell us about your story howdy do you get to writing this book. It did actually unfortunately evolved out of tragedy that started around the time of the earthquake and tsunami in Japan. And Oakland and here and basically plain view and I were saying that if we have been perhaps it godly. If we hadn't committed for example -- Lexus or at continent also on Sunday and going shopping and and perhaps you know god wouldn't have visited this terrible disaster and I found that sort of -- -- really outrageous thing to say. And and founded on Twitter people repeating it. And I started wondering about. How what I thought were pretty outrageous comments and on both sides by the way. Could could just sort of propagated to visit to a point where they were believed without much thought. And as a Republican I found myself sort of disengage from that conversation having a tough time finding out. What was really going on us and we'll find it and see whether and I could convince people. With an equally outrageous comments and so I went out trying to convince people that. Glenn Beck with a liberal. So you just talk a something that would seem equally as bizarre. Yeah -- -- fabricated out of thin air and see how you did with that in social media. Yes and of course it it didn't work that Beatrice and then is that you know it if it just didn't work there were maybe two or three people that I engage with the talks while yeah he's kind of an actor he's he's got such shock to our background maybe it is all just an -- in -- grew up in a liberal household and he's got a couple of that inexperienced liberals. On his staff but then again but basically we -- go away where it turned out that that kind of wasn't the story the story was really about. What was going on in real time that people were actually talking about solutions so that the idea of using the -- extra easily and was just mind waiting and it turned out to be a story much more about. A pretty funny story in some -- about how the these ideas on both sides to sort of travel through Twitter person becomes simplistic in. Sometimes means sometimes funny but definitely in my mind I think counterproductive to real political conversation. What do you do then to create this book chasing planned back. Well actually -- in real time so I spent I wouldn't interest and so we have the the primary circus which earlier than the rest except country sort sort of -- an advantage we have. Debates going on and a lot of things were happening last summer one who wrote the book. And so each week what I do it is I wrote about what was going on which -- about it -- right but how these Twitter conversations about whatever the current events work and and and slowly but surely things started to a clump together into interest and seems so. I won't play differently I was dead in the water because right in the middle of writing the book Clinton -- resigned from fox or he was far from toxic aperture which story is. Wanted to -- actual story that. So I thought I was dead in the water on the -- really wasn't about going back so much as a as about as great Christine. When we have to do to find people who really conversations because. But what is and what conservatives are not going away and I believe that the direction is gonna lead to more gridlock more filibuster more. On frozen government there are different -- There is an argument. About a frozen government that says an NNM interest in your responses to someone of those people who feels that. That Republicans by going along. And being conciliatory and compromise oriented in Washington has led to basically. A Washington without -- he's so Republicans have allowed. Things to drift. A thousand miles from where the belief systems are by caring more about being institutionally. Friendly and getting along with Democrats then -- about their philosophy being represented. So I push back and I want hardline Republicans who say look we now have. An extra constitutional society that basically no resemblance. Between what the founders laid out in the way we live our lives politically in this country so we need to stand. Tough. And let elections. Play themselves I'll let one side or the other way and either we're gonna be a socialist society or we're gonna. Try to get back to the essence of what the founders cared about him and laid out forests which made us I think you're great and powerful country so what's wrong with that position. So what what what I think what's wrong with the positions that it doesn't wanna. And we. I was going to be Blue States and -- states and those Blue States red states. Are going to drive governorships and they're gonna drive senate races in the gonna drive local elections. And and there's always going to be this. This. This conflict -- inherent conflict with which is a defect. I don't like a government personal and in addition the government to forward to for the as I certainly would prefer open much more than -- right. But in my mind immediately I. Let him I am sure this has become a very liberal society so I I get excited about it -- rhetorical and Michael chart attorneys got a new book out called. Chasing -- backed -- personal experiment in reclaiming our hijacked political conversation. In the media. The fight in Wisconsin was portrayed. As being some crazy Neanderthal. Right wing conservative. Trying to do something bizarre and destructive. By standing up to the unions and talked about Scott Walker the governor of Wisconsin and what I see him doing as. Is fighting back and -- against a conspiracy. That's been allowed to go on for way too long. Where unions control what governments do and regular taxpayers get screwed. By paying way too much money now. Obviously on affordable. For benefits and in salaries for public employees and those public employees get represented by unions that should never have been allowed to exist so -- Scott Walker the doubtful. Or -- Since I don't know how. How he was portrays -- the exception of the world conspiracy you in complete agreement on and I should I should emphasize that the book. The -- sort of goes after the very very far right wing and the reason it does. It because I'm a Republican I feel like I'm losing my party but I can make exactly the same case of I was a little liberal Democrat I would like to take exactly the same cases and both could be called chasing Ed Schultz. Were chasing -- and I don't want extremism and -- either side to be controlling the conversation it reduces conversations with things like black and white it reduces simplicity. -- a good example and you probably agree with you on this went to the whole idea of 1% vs the 99% up to sort. Just observe them with them and we've let that. Tropez we have we've looked -- -- and get out there and spend liberals have pushed that means don't -- very very strong ultra liberals. Have pushed that mean and now it's become common conversation and it's it's harmful. Because neither of those things that happen I don't know maybe in the 68%. Or. But he's somebody else is a 41% -- we don't have the same concerns that it just because were -- that decline of 1% it makes no sense. That too is harmful. So where is it because I will get lots I've already done some text messages calling you a you know -- fraudulent so member of the GOP because you're too liberal. Therefore you're right now. And I understand -- that you would say that's the problem right there and I agree with you by everybody shouldn't be knee jerk rejecting the idea -- before they've heard them and maybe that's what you're talking about. Is the closing out of conversation. Based on you know you can't say anything bad about the Red Sox otherwise you're yankees fan. But that's a little bit diluted. And I am not a Yankee Stadium with an effort for quite a few years I'd much prefer the Red Sox are I can do about it. And I think it'll probably isn't what it has been quite a bit of a number of Twitter conversations about it. I think the Republicans. Can't of the Republican Party can't afford to have a small -- Or it's going to break can have. And you know the Republican Party was formed out of exactly this kind of -- back in 1860. Where the northern -- and the -- weeks couldn't agree. And I think my real fear is that that's what could happen. What you're what you're dressing is that with the problem with the two party system. It comes down to a toggle between two choices and those two choices because there are only two are incentivized to come as close to the satirist they can safely do. Without alienating the people on their side. And that means that there's a big chunk of the population that feels that there are voices not represented in the marketplace. I I think that's true across the spectrum you can people on the far left and so Obama not that guy anymore because frankly. But again this is going to be the Pulitzer. I made in the book. It is we don't need to bother even calling Obama a socialist and having that don't debate -- we have to do was point out that he's been a bad president. He had he hasn't done what we've hired him to do. Well that's true too and that's a good argument that still when he does it's things like that little ramp that group worries channeling Elizabeth Warren the other day and talking about you know EU who succeeded -- into that on your nobody earned earns their great success on their own. You did and on the backs of all the great things that the the state gave you. And I think that's a very destructive argument one that demeans and in misrepresents the nature of what America is that we got us. Stand up and say that he's doing something nasty and mean spirited. When he talks like that. So I don't I don't think we have to go to talk about NAFTA mean spirited I think I think it's easy to -- -- Let's just let's just triple and so he's he's motivating -- base it's a it's a politically motivated speech. Because he's losing the people who got him elected last time frankly just don't care as much of it. And innocent that's an easier conversation to have but. But the but the simple fact is is that fear and anger get people to the polls and I'd rather see. Interesting conversation get people to the polls. On and as an assistant -- Richard during the primary season where I mean what what went on and GOP during the primary season was disposed of for a report that was a -- for the party I don't think the Democratic Party has ever completely healed. From what they want to four years ago and I worry. That we'll have the same problems as you earned it and they will keep. And then the more Conservative Party home during the voting because we have our --