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Steven Conn History professor Steven Conn’s new book,“To Promote the General Welfare, the Case for Big Government,” takes apart the myth of a free market. He points out that there has never been a truly free market in America because the private sector routinely relies on government –from building railroads to breaking strikes to banning women’s reproductive choices. Buy the book Jennifer Burns Republican vice presidential candidate Paul Ryan was an acolyte of the right wing philosopher Ayn Rand. Jennifer Burns is a professor at Stanford who is an expert on that philosophy, and she explains its hold on Ryan and other extreme conservatives. According to Dr. Burns, Ayn Rand is “a gateway drug to life on the Right.” http://www.jenniferburns.org/ Sherrod Brown Bill Press and guest Ohio Senator Sherrod Brown with a morning-after analysis of the vice presidential debate. http://www.billpressshow.com/ http://www.brown.senate.gov/

Today’s topics are about different gospels – the good news about the Obama stimulus, the social gospel of progressive Catholics and the Republican gospel of “you’re on your own.” Michael Grunwald Time Magazine’s senior national correspondent Michael Grunwald has written a book comparing the Obama Administration’s stimulus program to FDR’s New Deal. Why hasn’t the public understood how effective that stimulus was? Grunwald says it’s partly because of the news media, but also because of incredible Republican distortions of the record. http://www.michaelgrunwald.com/ Jim Hightower The GOP rejects, then embraces, and now is stuck with Todd Akin Nicholas Cafardi An expert on Catholic law and the co-chair of Catholics for Obama says the president is more pro-life than Mitt Romney because abortions are more likely when aid is cut to poor women. http://commonwealmagazine.org/authors/nicholas-p-cafardi Diana DeGette Bill Press interviews Congresswoman Diana DeGette on the day after the first presidential debate in her

What happened to the American Dream? Will a Republican White House blow up the entire trade relationship with China? And Romney pooh-poohs the polls. Timothy Noah After examining economic statistics from the past 40 years, essayist Timothy Noah finds that the vaunted “American Dream” of upward mobility is a thing of the past. And he has a few bold ideas for getting the dream back. http://www.tnr.com/blogs/timothy-noah Ira Shapiro International trade may not be the issue on which the presidential campaign turns, but it is a surrogate for the overall economy. Trade expert Ira Shapiro explains some of the issues … and wonders how a President Romney could face down China and not blow up the entire relationship. http://irashapiroauthor.com/ Ginger Gibson Bill Press interviews Politico’s Ginger Gibson, who has been covering Mitt Romney. http://www.billpressshow.com/ http://www.politico.com/

Romney’s foreign policy blunders … Obama’s secret weapons … and who the 47 percent really are. Peter Galbraith Former ambassador Peter Galbraith assesses Mitt Romney’s foreign policy expertise. The verdict? “Not ready for prime time” and “nostalgic for another century.” Ambassador Galbraith adds that Romney’s serial foreign policy gaffes calls his very competence into question. http://armscontrolcenter.org/about/staff/pgalbraith/ Jim Hightower "Millionaire Tax Dodgers" Alan Abramowitz Emory University Professor Alan Abramowitz uses mathematical models to successfully predict presidential election outcomes. Today, he tells us that President Obama must get his supporters to register and to vote and hope the undecideds stay home. Oh, and since our conversation with Professor Abramowitz, he has made his prediction – a one-point-two percentage point victory for the President. http://polisci.emory.edu/home/people/abramowitz.html Clarence Page Bill Press interviews Pulitzer Prize winning columnist Clarence Page abou

Democrats run the economy better, Republicans run as Ayn (Ain) Rand, and a DNC spokesman says, “I’d rather be us than them.” Jere Glover Jere Glover is a Washington attorney and a small business expert. He also has looked into official government statistics about the economy and, guess what … in Democratic administration, the economy and business investment are robust. Under Republicans, the economy and business investment go down. http://www.seidmanlaw.com/ Jennifer Burns Everyone is talking about the godmother of economic selfishness, author Ayn Rand, now that one of her disciples, Paul Ryan, could become vice president. Professor Jennifer Burns has written a Rand biography, “Goddess of the Market,” and says rather than a dream come true, the Romney-Ryan ticket would be Rand’s worst nightmare. http://www.jenniferburns.org/   Brad Woodhouse Bill Press interviews Brad Woodhouse, spokesman for the Democratic National Committee. http://www.billpressshow.com/ http://www.democrats.org/

Winning the independents … stimulating the economy … and taking back the House. Linda Killian There is some question as to whether there really are a lot of truly independent voters. Journalist and scholar Linda Killian, who has studied them in four key swing states, says they may constitute up to 25 percent of the electorate. She says they are socially moderate, fiscally conservative and leaning toward President Obama on national security issues. http://www.politico.com/arena/bio/linda_killian.html Robert Shiller Robert Shiller is a professor of economics at Yale University says cutting taxes and cutting spending will devastate America and bring on another recession. He also says it is a mistake of the first order to compare a household budget with a national budget. It will only make things worse, he says. http://www.econ.yale.edu/~shiller/ Robby Mook Bill Press interviews Robby Mook, director of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee http://www.billpressshow.com/ http://dccc.org/

Vice presidential candidates – from the most honorable to the least. Plus, a Reagan-Bush economist says the rich should pay more taxes. Mark Shriver Forty years ago, Sargent Shriver – a man for all seasons – was selected to run for vice president. Today, we talk with one of his sons, Mark, who has written a biography of the man he calls “a warrior for peace.” And he offers some poignant and funny stories. http://www.savethechildren.net/ Bruce Bartlett Now that Republicans have swallowed the Kool-Aid of low taxes as a cure for everything, we hear from an adviser to GOP leaders from Ron Paul to George Bush. Economist Bruce Bartlett explains the obvious – that if we don’t raise taxes on the wealthy, the rest of us have to pay more. http://economix.blogs.nytimes.com/author/bruce-bartlett/ Nia Malika Henderson Bill Press interviews the Washington Post’s Nia Malika Henderson about Paul Ryan’s “blatant untruths.” http://www.billpressshow.com/ http://www.washingtonpost.com/nia-malika-henderson/2011/03/04/ABbisxN_pag

Democrats and religion … middle class and downward mobility … and Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan. Kathleen Kennedy Townsend Kathleen Kennedy Townsend, eldest daughter of Robert and Ethel Kennedy, has written and advocated for progressive causes. Today, she talks with us about the role of religion in public policy, and reminds that progressives needs to reach out to people of faith. http://www.kathleenkennedytownsend.com/ Phillip Longman Author and demographer Phillip Longman says almost half of Baby Boomers do not have a retirement nest egg. He shares with us a series of provocative ideas about how to reverse the downward mobility of the middle class. http://www.newamerica.net/people/phillip_longman Frank Rich Bill Press interviews columnist Frank Rich about the meaning of Paul Ryan’s selection as the Republican vice presidential candidate. Not a game changer, he says. http://www.billpressshow.com/ http://nymag.com/frank-rich/

Ira Shapiro From the early 1960s through the 1970s, the United States Senate lived up to its historic grandeur, says former Senate staffer Ira Shapiro, the author of a new book called “The Last Great Senate.” What went wrong? Shapiro suggests it was the outside influences of right-wing ideology and big money that turned the world’s greatest deliberate body into a permanent election campaign. http://irashapiroauthor.com/ Ray Glendening A new internet site tries to match up ideological soul mates regardless of political party. The founder of this post-partisan exercise, Ray Glendening, explains how this new platform may bring about a broad and thoughtful conversation about the role of government. http://www.ruck.us/ Jennifer Duffy Bill Press interviews political analyst Jennifer Duffy, who says Democrats have an even shot at retaining control of the Senate. http://www.billpressshow.com/ http://cookpolitical.com/

Ohio looks good for Obama, income looks bad under Republicans, the House GOP looks like “monstrous” cynics. Eric Kearney Eric Kearney is the minority leader in Ohio’s state Senate, and he is very optimistic that once voters take a close look at his record and see the jobs start returning, they will again put Ohio in the Obama column this fall. http://www.erickearney.com/ Tim Noah Tim Noah is an essayist and author whose latest book examines the growing economic inequality in America over the past 33 years. He attributes it to the deregulation of Wall Street, the decline of the middle class, and, no surprise, Republican presidents. http://www.timothynoah.com/ Gerry Connolly Bill Press and Washington Post reporter Nia Malika Henderson talk with Gerry Connolly, a Democratic Congressman from Virginia, who describes how the House Republicans are “playing with the U.S. economy.” http://connolly.house.gov/

Tax deductions for Stand Your Ground laws. Tax credits for prancing horses. Romney praises national health system -- if its Israeli. Bob Edgar Bob Edgar is a former congressman who knows how lobbying works. In fact, he heads the public interest lobby Common Cause. Mr. Edgar has filed a complaint with the IRS exposing the lobbying tactics of a right-wing group that funds its nefarious work with tax-deductible contributions – not the way lobbying is supposed to work. http://www.commoncause.org Catherine Poe Mitt Romney just doesn’t relate to the average voter, and commentator Catherine Poe thinks she knows why. His money has sheltered him from the vicissitudes of life and made it seem normal to take a 77-thousand-dollar tax credit for a dressage horse. http://communities.washingtontimes.com/staff/catherine-poe/ Judd Legum Bill Press talks with Judd Legum about health care reform and Mitt Romney. http://www.billpressshow.com/ http://thinkprogress.org/author/judd/

What role will Latinos play in 2012? Why can't we all get along? How did Senate Democrats put Republicans on the spot? Raul Grijalva Congressman Raul Grijalva of Arizona says the upcoming election will critical in determining what this country will look like in the future. http://grijalva.house.gov/ Jonathan Haidt Social psychologist Jonathan Haidt explains what liberals can teach conservatives and what conservatives can teach liberals. He says different notions of morality both bind us and blind us. http://people.virginia.edu/~jdh6n/ Dick Durbin Bill Press talks with Assistant Senate Democratic Leader Dick Durbin about the politics of taxes and sequestration. http://www.billpressshow.com/ http://durbin.senate.gov/public/

The role of corporations is looming large in the presidential campaign. Today, we learn about the history of corporations from author and media theorist Douglas Rushkoff, who says since the Middle Ages, corporations have tried to prevent the rise of a middle class. A historian who writes about FDR links him to President Obama in terms of the paranoid hatred that both engendered among Republican extremists. And Bill Press talks with Congressman Peter Welch of Vermont and the National Journal’s Major Garrett about “sequestration” and the “fiscal cliff.”   Douglas Rushkoff Media theorist Douglas Rushkoff has written a book called, “Life, Incorporated.” In it he explains how corporations that arose in the Middle Ages have, through today, acted against the interests of the middle class. http://www.rushkoff.com/ Sally Denton Historian Sally Denton traces “the paranoid style” in American politics from FDR straight through to President Obama. While things were worse in the Thirties, she says, Obama was slow to recogn

Who cares about swing voters? Why should taxes go up? Why did Barney Frank choose to get married now? Alan Abramowitz Alan Abramowitz is a professor of political science at Emory University and well known for correctly predicting most of the presidential election outcomes. He has not yet made his 2012 prediction, but he does tell President Obama to forget the swing voters and concentrate instead on turning out his base. http://polisci.emory.edu/home/people/abramowitz.html Simon Johnson Economist Simon Johnson explains the current fiscal crisis as one caused by Republican refusal to pay for Social Security and Medicare. If America doesn’t have a more informed debate, he says, the chances of a true fiscal disaster go up. His solution – re-elect President Obama AND resist extending the Bush tax cuts to everyone. http://baselinescenario.com/ Barney Frank Bill Press talks with retiring Congressman and newlywed Barney Frank on why he decided to marry his partner before leaving Congress, and on the nation’s fiscal c

Pete Seeger Our first guest today is a truly great American, perhaps the leading progressive icon of our times. In honor of the centennial of the birth of Woody Guthrie, Pete has some fun telling stories on Woody, and revealing the history of the anthem “This Land is Your Land.” http://www.peteseegermusic.com/ http://www.woodyguthrie.org/ Fred Harris Fred Harris was a populist when he was the U.S. senator from Oklahoma. He still is, as a professor at the University of New Mexico. He talks with us about the legacy of Woody Guthrie and the lessons we have learned from the Dust Bowl Era of American history. http://www.ou.edu/special/albertctr/archives/harris.htm Sister Simone Campbell Bill Press talks with the leader of the “Nuns on a Bus” movement of progressive Catholics who point out the immorality of the Republican’s proposed budget. http://www.billpressshow.com/ http://www.networklobby.org/

Immigration ruling an opportunity for Democrats. Jeffersonians and Hamiltonians still arguing. And things are worse than they look. Raul Grijalva Mitt Romney says Arizona’s discredited immigration restrictions was model legislation. But now that the Supreme Court thinks otherwise, what is Romney’s backup plan? Nothing, says Congressman Raul Grijalva. He says the Supreme Court decision gives Democrats an opportunity to force Republicans into truly bipartisan moves to reform federal immigration policy. http://grijalva.house.gov/ Michael Lind Historian Michael Lind goes back into American history and explains how Americans contradict themselves. The political fault line is not really liberal versus conservative but Jeffersonian versus Hamiltonian. He says Americans are Jeffersonian in belief but Hamiltonian in practice. http://newamerica.net/user/91 Norm Ornstein Bill Press talks with political scientist Norm Ornstein about the historic level of vitriol and lying – mostly by Republicans – that is now paralyzing

Making the world safe for Exxon, shining light on hidden government benefits, explaining the President's immigration policy shift, and Jim Hightower says it's time to focus on the "Doug Jones Average". Steve Coll President George W. Bush threatened to designate an Indonesian group as terrorist unless it stopped attacking Exxon. Journalist Steve Coll paints an astonishing portrait of a corporation that tries to run not only the United States but the rest of the world. http://newamerica.net/ Suzanne Mettler Political scientist Suzanne Mettler asks what happens when government benefits are hidden from view? She answer that the rich benefit and the rest of us don’t. http://government.arts.cornell.edu/faculty/mettler/ Michele Waslin Bill Press talks with Michele Waslin of the Immigration Policy Center about President Obama’s action to defer action against young undocumented immigrants. http://www.billpressshow.com/ http://www.immigrationpolicy.org/

Why oil speculation raises the price of gasoline, why belt tightening is the wrong answer to the economy and what House Republicans are up to this week. Plus, Jim Hightower discusses diverting student aid money to big banks. Michael Greenberger Former Wall Street regulator Michael Greenberger says gasoline could be two dollars and 50 cents a gallon … if it weren’t for outrageous and barely regulated casino gambling by oil speculators. http://www.michaelgreenberger.com/ Robert Shiller Robert Shiller is a Yale economics professor and New York Times columnist. He explains why Keynesian economics is still the prescription and why “belt tightening” is the exact opposite of what the nation needs. http://www.econ.yale.edu/~shiller/ Donna Edwards Bill Press talks with Maryland Congresswoman Donna Edwards about Wall Street, the economy and Republican attacks on Eric Holder. http://billpressshow.com/ http://donnaedwards.house.gov/

Mark Shriver Many Americans fondly remember the late R. Sargent Shriver, who founded the Peace Corps and accomplished so much else in improving the lot of people in this country and around the world. His son, Mark Shriver, writes in a new book for Fathers Day, about how faith and maintaining a balance in life are the important lessons his dad bequeathed. http://www.savethechildren.org/ Jim Hightower America’s #1 populist gives us his Common Sense Commentary on the Wisconsin election results. Linda Killian A journalist and senior scholar at the Wilson Center, has written a book about a powerful third force in American politics – the independent, or swing, voters. They may not make up their minds in the presidential race until it is almost over, but they will, she says, make all the difference. http://www.lindajkillian.com/ Henry Cuellar Bill Press talks about immigration issues, the Latino vote and tax cuts with Congressman Henry Cuellar, a blue dog Democrat, from Texas. http://www.billpressshow.com/ http://c

Peter Barca Wisconsin Representative Peter Barca of Kenosha is the Democratic Leader of the Wisconsin Assembly. Clearly a battleground state in November, Wisconsin just ended a tumultuous campaign seeking the recall of Republican Governor Scott Walker. Representative Barca talks with us about the results, and what it means for November. http://legis.wisconsin.gov/w3asp/contact/legislatorpages.aspx?house=assembly&district=64