Under 100 days left...Major Garrett talks politics

Good morning. -- -- show brought to my network capital funding corporation your future finance Major Garrett is in studio this hour from the National Journal. We talk some politics and then we talked a -- there's certainly the what's the champagne fountain. Some really nice I never expected you do heartache so generously however it's great. I let you start to tell you the -- Well are you -- following the Scott Brown. Elizabeth Warren re still a little -- yes in in in the sense that I I try to keep track of all the senate races that are likely to. Be decisive determined majority oldest and most important it's very important they're all important I mean look. With -- each and every one of the developed development and each senate race you can sort of see the balance of power potentially shifting. In Montana Democrats are feeling better than they felt two months ago about Jon Tester holding onto that seat to that has an effect on -- idea overall -- but -- it in all things being equal. This is the one that gets the White House the most that they blew this race and that they lost the seats Scott Brown oh we absolutely and they know that because of senator brown wins reelection this time he'll come up in a non presidential year in six years. And that will make him very very formidable candidate you're gonna not trust senator brown the Democrat this is your time -- salute especially you know after a two year term -- a rare opportunity yes 6172666860. Mike -- anarchy though with Major Garrett good morning Mike. Create yet judge in my bag struck a -- there and you know journalism. Technologies. I think if we just thought our half hour journalism but. Are making -- -- start politics -- black all right -- gap in the major. I don't know -- initial -- may -- issued a total of field Marshal. As far as our insurance journalistic. There's no integrity. The word bias it is too -- awarded -- and the last forty years it's absolute propaganda. Eight order pure pure -- be in that particular that -- -- -- It sort of leaning break there a deal local newspapers we have a newspaper -- called the -- This weekend and week out it's just -- tablet people do liberal left leaning. Garbage bit low low equilibrium in the NBA and journalism. Well let me just really -- -- brilliant golf community journalists at the bottom -- and wrap up a good start. They're both leaders in my thank you while things -- welcome this -- Hezbollah Hamas and eight Mike's a consumer and he's made market choices and you talked about earlier what what -- who obsess about this but the Mitch McConnell the senate Republican leader. -- interviewed a bus -- earlier this week. Buzz -- is as yet another one of these. Complete Internet domain. Journalistic entities that sprung up with in the last twelve months and already made a reputation for -- And he said the Internet and the multiplicity. Of places for new used to be discussed debated and placed has given Republicans conservatives those on the right side of the political spectrum in this country. Much greater voice much greater look legitimacy and much greater immediacy to the marketplace of ideas. And he believes and he said in this article. That this. These I think are his words something like the stranglehold on the New York Times the Washington Post and the networks once had on defining what American journalism was and what the issue matrix was -- was not has been broken and broken for good. And so from his vantage point and Mitch McConnell is his skilled and operator in politics. Communicating about politics and trying to move an agenda forty -- find in America. He believes. All of these flattening of hierarchies has helped Republicans and conservatives. And done damage to what he always saw. As the Democrats or left of center politicians kind of owning. The marketplace of ideas through these large tourist and organized is opening up I would venture were not I don't know but he believes it to -- true. And I thought that was an -- evaluation of what's happened last fifteen years and now his party and those he. Considers working in common cause with the exchange for the better. Have all have White House's changed IA I'm struck by the tour of the ideas that you have a Karl Rove and aide David Axelrod both. Political gurus. Who then after they've gone their victory than they come in and they run the White House -- this -- that's a new thing isn't it well I mean look that there were political operatives who work for FDR there political operatives who worked for Woodrow Wilson. And Grover Cleveland and Teddy Roosevelt's. You know political operatives. Who are responsible for electing presidents are never neutral about the presidency once it begins however. I do think the idea that consultants. Moving into. Visible and very powerful governing places was an administration is different. And I'm not altogether comfortable with it and I think it's part of centralization of power in the White House is in general and I think is. Not institutionally great what I mean by that is. Why houses used to have in president -- to invest in powerful cabinet secretaries and cabinet agencies that operated if not. Independently of the white house with some measure of independents and some measure of their own clout. And now mostly cabinet agencies and certainly cabinet secretaries take all of their -- down -- the smallest thing. From the White House in the White House communicate you know you're -- it's all political machine announced an impulsive machine. Yes I mean this clearly policy that gets done but I think the routing of it always through the White House and that everything has to be signed off and filtered. Through a political lens is something that has. And look president's love this that's why Democrats -- Republicans have done this a minute everything I'm not saying. Present -- outside its -- and President Obama is only lawless and us first yes politics first and our policy is still done. But you've got to run it through the political filter as your doing it and I think that's. A more pronounced part of the presidential leadership. Machinery now and what has come with that is I think a little bit less accountability. You don't have access to cabinet secretaries as individual players the way -- to end. Holding them accountable as less common Washington they all now come over the White House you sort of have the white house Press Secretary leaning over their shoulder Republican and Democrat. And so they feel the -- way to the White House over them all the time. And I don't wanna be. -- idiotic cleanest -- about a day when cabinet secretaries. Flouted the administration nor ignore the will the president I'm not saying that they did. But there was a tendency for. Cabinet secretaries and cabinet. Officials tackle some autonomy that doesn't seem to exist nearly as much else there's just a crimp the tremendous tendency to centralize. The message and -- scary when I mean seeing major. -- is here from the national journalist seems to me that it's all about politics now they do policy when they have to do. But there really about getting reelected from the time they get into office and it's it's kind of a four year cycle certainly a two year intensive cycle getting reelected. And that does that mean there's nobody really did do in the country running the country except as a secondary byproduct of getting reelected. Well and then look what -- Explanations for this. Is the fact that for forty years in this country. From 1950 Ford in 1994. Democrats ran the congress. Except with you. Very brief six year time when Republicans ran the senate in the first six years the Reagan presidency. Other than that it was an unbroken string a democratic controlled congress. -- -- democratic president's work with democratic congress is never Republican president had to work with a democratic congress you had to be bipartisan if you're gonna do anything. The thing that's really. Created quote unquote division in this country is a fact of Republicans. In our modern lifetime become now routinely competitive at the congressional level. So we now have a bipartisan system and that's what I treated the partisanship is much more visible because the Republicans are -- -- were for forty years are no longer defenseless spineless and irrelevant -- -- there in the game that's naturally gonna lead to more -- right because because the Democrats -- -- for forty years we essentially ran this place and you know what we don't like it when you are competitive with us I think -- take the gavel away from us and -- our staff and I mean so that is that is the greatest change I've seen on -- about how is also -- until it's all. So big difference that districts have become more gerrymandered so you know are representing. A mixed district anymore -- -- public -- you tender represented conservatives and if you're a Democrat you tend to represent -- also with Danielle no -- no Kerry woods would say here in Massachusetts that's not such a terrible thing in I disagree I think gerrymandering has gone way over for us become acute now so I look at somebody like Allen west who. He seems to be going out of his way and that says it's kind of a model I'm not picking on him in particular. But they're people who become bomb throwers because it's so lucrative in terms of the money coming in from your base. And you get your side energized and you expect them to -- -- the election in me you know. There is need actually more subtle than that bone. You you'd you don't have conversations with with other members even in your own party who work from who after represented mixed districts because you like. Why don't -- -- those pressures on him and what your talking about because you don't have any pressures you're only pressures to be as. Rigidly or predictably. Conservative or liberal. And that means you don't have to actually pass legislation because it's enough if you're -- -- fight with somebody on the other side -- that treacherous say whether whether or not you wanna pass legislation is almost secondary to the purity of your ideological point of view which is reinforced by your constituency. Now my home state of California is doing something that I hope becomes a model for the country. After watching going out largely Democrats until well the -- that -- know -- yet though not quite yet but after watching Democrats for three decades draw the lines in California. Rigidly -- protect Democrats in the house they now have a a bipartisan non political commission system that is -- on the lines of the districts in California. And there will now be probably. Twelve or thirteen competitive house races this cycle in California more than in the last. Fifteen Alexa was his works are now being -- districts in California with the intent of making them competitive race has resolutely rather than the opposite that's right and Republicans have been thrown into -- -- gets Republicans and so Democrats and that's completely shifted the dynamic. And I think. Other states to look at this can find that model in the California bring that system and we can. Stop what has been for thirty years. A march toward rigid and sharply drawn. And hyper partisan congressional is that march got resolved itself when voters decide which way they wanna go. Sure I -- voters are always the the that this is the ultimate decider they tell people what they want but. Look. No one is more interested in the lines of a congressional district in the sitting incumbent no voter is gonna be more pitched it in those lines and how they're drawn than the sitting incumbent. That's why if you put the Sonoma and a bipartisan or nonpartisan commission process you have different lines. And those lines do try to reflect. What congressional district lines are supposed to reflect which is a community of issues in a community of in -- He's OK he's not diss us sprawling black districts that dead might get as skinny as a snake in order to go collect two more conservative or -- liberal voters right as exact case may be we're gonna take a break. And continue our conversation when Major Garrett from the National Journal stay -- succeeding WRKO. Margaret or show he's known for its institutions of higher learning moss tournament deserves a radio station as Smart as the people that will live better. -- -- From stock -- and AM six ADW. Mario. WR -- good morning. Gonna be a nice day a little cloudy -- high Temps in the upper seventies. Not the hot sweaty weather we expect this time year with the heavy humidity going to live -- Major Garrett since studio he's spending the day covering the Romney campaign your boss and then he's off to Chicago. To cover the Obama campaign. Yeah I give us a little synopsis of where you view things at this point 00 what one of the smartest things have heard and have heard this and various. Forms from both campaigns is a lot has happened and nothing has changed. Meaning. In July. We're now at the end of this month there was tremendous intensity. And debate over lots of issues between the two campaigns and some very serious blows were thrown. And yet the numbers have not shifted all that much a tremendous amount of money's been spent by the Obama campaign. Probably upwards of 58 to sixty million dollars on television advertising. Most of it very aggressive it's been softened in the last couple of weeks. And the race is essentially where was and there are two dynamics -- -- should say the polls are essentially right there were right the polls are essentially where they weren't what does that tell us. Tells us two things that we also knew at the beginning of this very different this very tough months. -- still not very likable. The president is more likable but the weight of the economic news in this country is is dramatically. Limiting the president's ability. To carry out a message again strongly that is doing anything other than keeping him where he is. Which is important. You don't wanna keep falling deeper fear incumbent president so he's keeping himself where he is but it's also trading down some of his like abilities. Are so he had this great political capital which was a reputation as somebody was above the fray yes and all of a sudden he's trading he's spending that money you need in order to hurt Mitt Romney so that's reducing his positives and they're trying to thread some needle here. Where they can somehow. Debilitating Mitt Romney enough without debilitating themselves so much that they just drown under the weight of it all right. I -- may be impossible because the economy so bad anyway I'm -- how possible. Is that and when you look at the polling data in the last week it's not just assessing what people think about the economy and double what they think about it in the next twelve months. People are becoming more collectively pessimistic than they were in the springtime. I just think that is a terrible reality for the president. And optimistic country tends to reelect its incumbent president pessimistic country tends to defeat it's incumbent president. Now some. -- perpetual Obama response to that is look we live in a different country demographically than we've ever lived in before and demographics is destiny. And the demographic alignment this country with more Latino voters more African American voters. More women voters who are more aligned culturally and by political Havoc with democratic and democratic voting Paterson presidential elections create for us a firewall that can withstand all of this dreadful if not dreadful. Underwhelming and in some cases depressing economic news. And there are those in the Romney campaign who don't fundamentally disagree with that they do believe demographics will play a huge part of this race. And they know that Mitt Romney has got to do two things in the next 98 days become more likable. And become more trusting. Or trust worthy as an economic Steward of this country. -- believe the Romney campaign is most people have made up their mind about Obama. There it is not a way to Anthony's own mind about -- -- so that's where I think this is this thing about it and if -- have not changed is not accurate. The polls have not indicated -- change but there have to be ships going on. There are preparing people to make a decision I just think this -- in the decision making absolutely visible change me you know at some point in the fall Iran's SA OK it's time to make a decision and then I think we're gonna see a snappy either they're gonna be sold that even though it's been a miserable for years they want another four years with a guy whom. Who's been at the Helm during the misery. Or they're gonna say we have to switch she because this is -- miserable right and you know it seemed that I mean my guess is it's gonna go -- way because. HH and how can you reelect somebody went in the four years have been this bad even if you don't blame him on a personal level he's it has been in charge and you make a good point. A lot of things have happened nothing has changed in the visible sort of way you measure up a political campaign but. I think you're right in this sense. Something has changed. The Romney campaign believes they have absorbed many of the toughest most aggressive body blows the Obama campaign can throw at it. And have been outspent. At least campaign to campaign spending. Yes there have been ally of Republican super -- who spent money and rough there's there's a rough equivalence there but campaign's first and foremost. Measure what they're throwing directly at each other in the run a campaign believes. If not the very best shot that the Obama campaign can -- they believe they've absorbed and taken on the -- many of their best shot and are still standing -- are still very much -- -- race. And they also believe. The were entering a phase the campaign and I think this is true and it's not a partisan observation where. Controlling the narrative is going to be more in the hands of both campaigns. They'll be Iran he vice presidential nominee rollout they'll control that narrative that's gonna give them a week where they're going to be sort of dictating so the -- engine the new pummeling period is over well the polling period is going to have to. Compete now with the time of narrative. As goes into way to -- yes it's going to be very much -- -- We have to wrap up for your different cook she's gonna be really mentally and I don't make him mad he's a good fellow Major Garrett thanks for being here it's great -- having an hour with -- major -- our from the National Journal checked him out there. Coming up next hour and talk about healthcare costs with Steve sire for a few minutes and Joseph baton fell to be here for his weekly visit. To talk about politics stay tuned to 680 WRKO. Fouls and want to talk radio we -- personality. 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