National political roundup, with Jill Lawrence & Ben Berger

Air Date: November 16, 2011

Republican presidential candidates Herman Cain, left, Mitt Romney and Newt Gingrich at a debate Saturday in Spartanburg, S.C. (AP Photo/Richard Shiro)

Hour 1

In today’s national political roundup, Marty and her guests will survey the domestic political news landscape, especially the deficit super-committee nearing its deadline but seemingly deadlocked on familiar issues of tax reform and “entitlement reform”; the GOP 2012 presidential field and the fickle nature of “frontrunner” status amid the primary debates; polling and its benefits and drawbacks as a gauge of public opinion and candidacy viability; President Obama’s “We Can’t Wait” initiatives and his re-election campaign; and more. Joining us in-studio are JILL LAWRENCE, longtime Washington DC political columnist now contributing regularly to The Daily Beast and The Atlantic; and Swarthmore College Political Science Professor BEN BERGER, whose new book, Attention Deficit Democracy: The Paradox of Civic Engagement, looks at political apathy since the time of ancient Greece and the most efficient ways to increase political engagement among today’s population.

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[audio: 111611_100630.mp3]

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