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Tamara Draut The quality of jobs for non-college graduates is as low as ever, but young people feel they must go to college just to stay even. Then they pile up debt for a diploma that guarantees them little in the search for that first job. Author Tamara Draut examines the economics of being a 20- or 30-something in 2012. http://www.demos.org/tamara-draut John Halpin John Halpin, a political analyst with the Center for American Progress reports that the 2012 presidential election will come down to 12 states or fewer and that President Obama can win the race, even if by only a narrow margin. http://www.americanprogress.org/experts/HalpinJohn.html John Nichols Bill Press talks Wisconsin recall election with John Nichols, a correspondent for “The Nation”and with the National Journal’s Major Garrett. http://billpressshow.com/ http://www.thenation.com/authors/john-nichols

Eric Kearney Ohio State Senate Democratic Leader Eric Kearney talks about the importance of his state to President Obama in November and how Republicans are trying to suppress voting rights and women’s rights. Website Jennifer Mittelstadt Professor Jennifer Mittelstadt is writing a book about book on the relationship between the all-volunteer army, social welfare, and politics. She notes that the military has always been a social service agency and examines the role of medical, dental, educational and child care benefits in keeping the military services strong. Website Jeff Morley Bill Press interviews Jeff Morley of Salon.com, who has been looking into the possible use of drones to spy on Americans. http://www.billpressshow.com/ Jeff Morley

Bruce Bartlett Bruce Bartlett was an early “supply-side” economist who worked for President Reagan and President George H.W. Bush. He explains for us why the tax cuts of George W. Bush have not worked and why we need more revenues now. http://economix.blogs.nytimes.com/author/bruce-bartlett/ David Becker An expert on election reform tell us that there is no evidence of voter fraud, but that one out of eight voting records are inaccurate. The answer, says David Becker of the Pew Foundation, might be online registration. http://www.pewtrusts.org/experts_profile.aspx?id=85899368166 John Sarbanes Bill Press chats with the Congressman John Sarbanes about how to clean up campaign financing and maybe amend the Constitution to overturn the Citizens United decision. http://www.billpressshow.com/ http://sarbanes.house.gov/

Fred Rotondaro Vice President Joe Biden talks the language of a lot of Americans, and regular contributor Fred Rotondaro says President Obama would do well to make the vice president the point man for picking some fights with Republicans. http://www.americanprogress.org/ Michael Ussery It isn’t possible to deal with Russian President Vladimir Putin, says our Republican foreign policy expert Mike Ussery. But that still doesn’t make Russia our Number One enemy, he says. Andrew Harmon Bill Press chats with the White House correspondent for the “Advocate” about the president standing up for gay marriage. http://www.billpressshow.com/ http://www.advocate.com/

Kasim Reed Mayor Kasim Reed of Atlanta is passionate about the need for progressives to throw out their complacency about rights they have already won. Why? Because Republicans are successfully impeding voting rights and women’s rights. He calls their words and actions “insane.” http://kasimreed.com/ Tamara Draut Tamara Draut, an activist and author, links the soaring cost of college to the grim future for a generation of 20- and 30-somethings, who may become the first generation of Americans to do worse than their parents. http://www.demos.org/tamara-draut Adam Green Bill Press chats with Adam Green, co-founder of the Progressive Change Campaign Committee, who provides a rundown on the Massachusetts Senate race and five House races where progressives might replace Republican incumbents. http://www.billpressshow.com/ http://boldprogressives.org/

Dean Lacy How is it that the very states that keep voting for Republicans get the most money, per capita, in federal social programs that the voters say they despise? Dartmouth Professor Dean Lacy explains … and he has some thoughts about the history of third parties in presidential elections. http://www.dartmouth.edu/~govt/faculty/lacy.html Geoffrey Kabaservice Author Geoffrey Kabaservice says moderates don’t spend their time watching cablet TV, and thus are more moderate in their views than the leaders of the Republican Parfty, and they do vote in November. http://www.oup.com/us/catalog/general/subject/HistoryAmerican/Since1945/~~/dmlldz11c2EmY2k9OTc4MDE5OTc2ODQwMA==# Brad Woodhouse Bill Press chats with Brad Woodhouse of the Democratic National Committee, who says forget Mitt Romney’s flip-flops – let’s find out what he is actually proposing! http://www.billpressshow.com/ http://www.democrats.org/

Leon Billings Leon Billings was Senator Ed Muskie’s administrative assistant and helped write the nation’s environmental laws. As America celebrates another Earth Day, we ask him if the Clean Air and Clean Water Acts are still effective?  http://www.greentechfoundation.org/Advisors_billings.htm Catherine Poe Regular contributor Catherine Poe says the Trayvon Martin case was a perfect storm of race, media and political paranoia. http://communities.washingtontimes.com/staff/catherine-poe/ Keith Ellison Bill Press chats with Minnesota Congressman Keith Ellison, the co-chair of the House Progressive Caucus about a fair budget and the fight against restrictive voter I.D. legislation in the states. http://www.billpressshow.com/ http://ellison.house.gov/

Douglas Amy Douglas Amy is a professor at Mt. Holyoke College and an unabashed believer that “government is good.” As the IRS reviews America’s tax returns, Professor Amy explains just what we get for our taxes. http://www.mtholyoke.edu/acad/facultyprofiles/douglas_amy.html Teresa Ghilarducci Retirement expert Teresa Ghilarducci says the Federal Reserve policy of low interest rates is hurting fixed income pensions. Her solution is for the government to establish guaranteed annuities that the Fed’s employees get – for everyone. http://teresaghilarducci.org/ Hilda Solis  Bill Press chats with Labor Secretary Hilda Solis about the recent jobs report and the difficulties women have in today’s labor market.  http://www.billpressshow.com/ http://twitter.com/#!/hildasolisdol

Kathleen Kennedy Townsend Author and Democratic activist Kathleen Kennedy Townsend is concerned about the injection of religious belief into political campaigns. After Rick Santorum said her uncle John F. Kennedy’s call for separation of church and state made him want to throw up, she says Santorum was being childish and unworthy of a presidential candidate. http://www.kathleenkennedytownsend.com/ Mike Ussery One-time Republican campaign strategist Mike Ussery says Mitt Romney has a rough course toward winning the presidency, but  if he can take Florida and Ohio, then the president is in trouble. http://www.babcenter.org/ussery.htm Richard Trumka Bill Press chats with AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka on labor’s endorsement of President Obama, Republican attempts to suppress the vote and the need for bipartisan support for rebuilding the nation’s infrastructure. http://www.billpressshow.com/ http://www.aflcio.org/

Thomas Frank Thomas Frank, who several years ago wrote the best-seller “What’s the Matter with Kansas,” turns his attention to Wall Street in a book called “Pity the Billionaire.” Frank says that the right-wing money machine succeeded in blaming progressives for the financial collapse caused by the billionaires, partly because the public didn’t really understand the crisis. http://www.tcfrank.com/ Dean Lacy Dartmouth Professor Dean Lacy says three-quarters of the public believe they pay more in taxes than they get back from the government. Which, of course, isn’t true. But what is true is there is a correlation between voting Republican andgetting more government assistance! http://www.dartmouth.edu/~govt/faculty/lacy.html Al Gore Bill Press, joined by former New York Governor Eliot Spitzer, for an interview with Al Gore who says the Republican field of presidential candidates is “embarrassing to the country.”  http://www.billpressshow.com/ http://www.algore.com/

Teresa Ghilarducci Teresa Ghilarducci is an expert on retirement security, and while Republicans continue their assault on Social Security, she has a new idea – let individuals get the same guaranteed-income retirement accounts that employees of the Federal Reserve have. http://teresaghilarducci.org/ Catherine Poe Columnist and regular contributor Catherine Poe makes the case for the Dream Act – to help children of undocumented workers who were born in the United States get a college education. She points out how Mitt Romney is way out of step with other Republicans and with his own church on  this issue. http://communities.washingtontimes.com/staff/catherine-poe/ Charles Postel And now, historian Charles Postel examines the “no-tax” pledge that Grover Norquist imposes on Republicans -- driving moderates out of the GOP, making the rich richer and the rest of us more miserable. http://history.sfsu.edu/faculty/defaultfaculty.htm

James K. Galbraith Regular commentator James K. Galbraith, author of a new book on inequality and economic instability, says it isn’t that we need new regulations on banks … the laws in place have plenty of teeth, if only someone would operate the jaw behind them. Website Geoffrey Kabaservice Political scientist Geoffrey Kabaservice has written extensively about the disappearance of moderate Republicans and says it should be of concerns to both parties because governing comes from the middle. Website Katie Paris An interview by Bill Press with Katie Paris of Media Matters on two big business issues – Rush Limbaugh’s advertisers and the whistleblower from Goldman Sachs. http://www.billpressshow.com/ http://mediamatters.org/

Richard Bulliet Columbia University Professor Richard Bulliet is an expert on Islam and Iran, and he says there is respect for American institutions among Muslims worldwide, even if there are differences in foreign policy.  Website Catherine Poe Catherine Poe is concerned about that doomsday clock that appears on the cover of the Bulletin of Atomic Scientists. It has been moved one second closer to midnight, due to fear of war in Iran, bleak prospects for nonproliferation, and continuing concern about the safety of nuclear power plants. Website Angelo Carusone An interview by Bill Press with the man behind the movement to pressure Glenn Beck off of Fox, and who is now behind the “stoprush.org” Website. Bill Press http://stoprush.org/

Andrew Baumann Andrew Baumann is a pollster with the firm Greenberg Quinlan Rosner and has studied the electorate carefully. He believes that while voters are with the Republicans on cutting spending and job creation, Democrats can win by crossing a threshold of credibility on spending with independent voters. Website Fred Rotondaro A senior fellow at the Center for American Progress, says “American exceptionalism” is a lot more than what today’s Republican candidates say it is. And he gives credit to Richard Nixon for clean air and clean water laws, proving, as he says, “not all Republicans at all times have been lunatics.” Website Brian Schweitzer An interview from the National Governors Association meeting February 27 with Montana Governor Brian Schweitzer by Bill Press. Governor Schweitzer explains that 85 percent of what he and his colleagues do is “educate, medicate and incarcerate.” Bill Press Website

John Halpin John Halpin of the Center for American Progress coauthored a study on how President Obama can put together enough electoral votes to win a second term. It won’t be easy, and victory will depend on turnout of the Democratic base. Website Mike Barnes According to Mike Barnes, a former congressman and now a foreign policy analyst, President Obama’s foreign policy has made the United States much better regarded throughout the world. And, he says, Russia’s Vladimir Putin is nothing but a dictator. Website Leon Billings An environmental expert, who says Barack Obama is “a light green president” – much better on the environment than his predecessor but still somewhat tepid on some issues. Website

Charles Postel Historian Charles Postel has studied the value and successes of various political pledges throughout history – against slavery, for prohibition and for woman’s suffrage – but he says the Republicans’ universal pledge to oppose any new tax is different because it is destructive … and forever. Book Fred Rotondaro A senior fellow at the Center for American Progress says Mitt Romney’s claim that Democrats are envious of the rich is the “most extreme and stupid comment” he has ever made. In reality, he says, by attacking government so much, the rich actually get benefits from the government that keep them from having to compete fairly. Center for American Progress Cecilia Munoz The director of the White House Domestic Policy Council says President Obama made some hard choices in his budget … a budget that asks all Americans to do their fair share. Bill Press

Andrew Baumann Andrew Baumann, a Democratic pollster, says more Democratic candidates are embracing the president’s new populism theme, but are not necessarily going to  embrace him.  He also says watch out for a flip in both houses of Congress … the House returning to Democrats and the Republicans taking the Senate. Website Richard Bulliet Columbia University Professor Richard Bulliet  says preventing Iran from getting nuclear weapons is probably impossible until and unless testing begins. He also predits a negotiated withdrawal from Afghanistan, with the Taliban taking control. http://www.columbia.edu/~rwb3/Bulliet/Richard_W._Bulliet.html Steny Hoyer An interview by Bill Press with Steny Hoyer, the No. 2 Democrat in the House, who points out that if the middle class does well, people at the top will do well, also. Bill Press http://hoyer.house.gov/

Maria Teresa Kumar Voter ID laws, foreclosures in poorer neighborhoods and increasing immigration enforcement are among the factors that could make it hard for President Obama to match his electoral strength among Hispanics. But Maria Teresa Kumar, head of VotoLatino,  says the Republicans don’t have it so easy, either. http://votolatino.org/ Peter Galbraith Former Ambassador Peter Galbraith says the Administration’s “reset” of relations with Russia has been successful because Moscow is now less hostile to the United States. Website Eleanor Smeal An interview by Bill Press with Eleanor Smeal, president of the Feminist Majority Foundation, who calls family planning “a life and death issue” and criticizes the Susan G. Komen Foundation for politicizing women’s health. The interview was recorded before the Foundation apologized and changed its mind. http://www.billpressshow.com/ http://feminist.org/

Ralph Becker The mayor of Salt Lake City, deep in red-state Utah, is a Democrat. He has worked with the Mormon Church and state leaders to come up with a more humane immigration policy than neighboring Arizona.  But the Justice Department is suing Utah, and Mayor Ralph Becker explains how things might ultimately work out. Website Peter Galbraith  Former Ambassador Peter Galbraith says it is hard to overstate how much the Bush administration destroyed America’s standing in the world, but he says its restoration is President Obama’s greatest foreign policy achievement. Website Tom Buffenbarger  An interview by Bill Press with Tom Buffenbarger, head of the Machinists Union, who denounces the Apple Corporation for relying on the business model of slavery.  The Bill Press Show International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers

Fred Harris Fred Harris is now a political science professor, but he was once a U.S. senator, chairman of the DNC and a candidate for president. He says the outcome of the open Senate race in his adopted state of New Mexico could depend on how President Obama does at the top of the ticket. Wikipedia Mike Barnes Former Congressman Mike Barnes, who spends the cold weather in Florida, says the likely Republican Senate candidate in the Sunshine State “is not the sharpest knife in the dishwasher.’ Center for International Policy Steve Israel An interview by Bill Press with Representative Steve Israel, who heads the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee. Congressman Israel reveals that current polling actually puts the Democrats ahead in the race for a majority in the House. Bill Press Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee