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Author Robert Draper on his new book “Do Not Ask What Good We Do,” the 2012 elections and modern government.
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-- -- -- -- Robert Draper is a conservative writer for the New York -- magazine and and National Geographic and a correspondent for GQ and is the author of a number vox.
Most recently in the -- -- ties to a solid dead certain.
Presidents of the presidency of George W.
Bush he lived out there in Washington these citi's new book is entitled.
Simon shares are entitled.
Do not ask.
What good breeder.
Whose remarkable -- Robert Redford Obama's driver thanks on Mario well thanks so -- I've always said for years -- -- -- -- classes.
-- of people in the house representatives.
All those are our core actually criminals out of files those -- didn't.
Or people with remarkably low consultants to him.
And then a -- -- -- -- -- -- Solve all but every reached a new low and the people -- -- him respond.
For souls that all one category -- there's a lot of -- -- and now yes sure how we've reached a new low I think at least in terms of paralysis in town and there's always been.
Partisan gridlock in in.
In congress and from the very beginning in fact of them.
Title of the book comes from -- -- one of the first federal congressman and after four terms.
He quit saying do not ask what did we do that is not a fair question and these days a faction.
But back -- at least they are able stand up and executive branch -- judiciary branch.
I annex a few states pay off wartime deaths and down right and passed the bill of rights.
And you wouldn't see anything that's constructive is that coming out of congress recently sold the greater picture.
Well what happened is that.
Is an ideology or as -- -- -- Well money lobbyists.
-- well wanna take a lot of it is that time and extremism cells division sells you know we -- -- media I think bear some.
Responsibility for that.
-- it's the guys with their parents -- -- -- on television not -- guys were sober and moderates and our interest in governing.
I think also though -- You know the public obviously bear some responsibility after all this this.
Those democratic institution we've got these guys are hot wired -- of the electorate they've they have to face this every two years.
And women have a 9% approval rating as they've been -- -- as recently as October.
I after all reelected and what does that say about you know the public's attentiveness to what's going on order form.
Sinclair army may actually lived in a lot of ways a lot of these guys are saved by redistricting you know they are drawn -- districts -- And what that means among other things.
Is that there there -- -- very red districts are very blue districts they win in their primary which means a win in the general election then -- on the Washington.
And there are no more swing representatives -- of their hard left or are -- of course they can't agree on anything.
Viral Robert Draper -- -- -- from our old friends of Simon position do not ask.
What good reader -- I've noticed over the years of people are -- Column.
Particularly politicians and some.
-- That is the the the left and the right they've -- exaggerated to have -- point of actually English from me annoyance remain so message that -- -- -- were present.
Their respective.
Positions and -- that's not their respective positions but their positions all of the other side.
That this it's difficult to -- somebody on the program.
Or you can get a straight answer from -- -- -- -- -- and here with them with a backpack of agenda you know.
Now that's right I think that's part of that is that.
The world of politics is obsession with what they -- narrative which -- in their view or what -- really means is reducing somebody down to caricature defining the other -- before.
Before they get a chance to define themselves.
I think you know the other thing is that the institution really needs more of one of the main characters in the book is John dingle who's been around.
57 years longer and anybody else who served in the house but also who's a real dealmaker and he knows how to pass legislation and he begins at.
Are bringing everybody in the -- not by staking out positions part of the -- part of the right.
And challenging people to define.
There would think the goal abating.
And I think it.
Is -- everybody to -- serving in congress.
Enter try to create agreed contract.
To -- term balance the budget.
And to do things that are in the interest of the people mean they'll save -- -- -- editor of a number of -- we've been impressed and certainly.
George Bush you -- cement idiotic warn other stuff and this sort of sustained -- but none of them -- Well you look most recently at the debt ceilings you know stalemate to -- place this past summer and and the part of the problem there was that the reason Republicans are in parent -- house of these 87 freshman you can economic Tea Party movement.
83 of -- who believed that there was no need to raise the debt ceiling under any circumstances and so.
We are required a lot of educating.
On the part of the house Republican leadership just bring some of these guys aboard but to do that.
That a freshman extract and all these concessions such that to do you know what was.
It wasn't a clean debt ceiling you know instead it it came with a balanced budget amendment and all these cuts things that Democrats were never gonna vote for and this is why.
It put -- not to the brink of default so you're -- let's not do not ask.
What do we do you want -- to bluntly -- -- well I think that it's I mean I think it it's a real granular portrait I've been basically -- immersed myself.
In.
In the house for a year followed about eight or ten guys around.
And I think it sort of you know a very very committee and sparingly granular looked a bit dot.
At son of a sort of a terrible dysfunction you know of of why does that.
Our most democratic institution has ceased to function rally and hands us but -- it's also pretty human portrait -- I'd.
You get a sense of -- you know these these a lot of these guys it's not like they're coming to wanted to grind everything to a screeching halt by Havel police system.
It's just that.
The Democrats and Republicans live in -- you -- or vs kind of like the previous story ahead of the coupled with the based home crying baby -- sound like blissfully unaware of what each other's you know and points of view.
As to employ lands or is presented.
As an and light at the end of the tunnel for.
Well I mean I think short of -- crisis frankly mean unless that if if for example in this election.
The public does not respond to their own disapproval of this congress.
By throwing them all out.
And instead just kind of blithely reelect them all denied -- nothing short of you know some crisis on the order of war and economic catastrophe is gonna jolt of this institution into doing anything constructive.
Project dedicated to -- a dedicated to both of my rose one -- no longer is alive and and -- brother John was here and brought them very close to him my brother -- passed away about thirty years.
-- -- -- -- He is a psychologist and years ahead of those suicide prevention network of New York City and action on film you know announcing he's he's a great -- and Smart Smart it is now back -- -- do not ask.
Governor or some of -- torture -- well -- I'm follow a lot of Tea Party freshman Allen west.
-- one of the more colorful characters are.
African American Republican from Florida hi Anthony Weiner our foreign for a -- significant period of time until his world crashed and -- and always to have very.
On all time now Tom doll I thought it was -- All -- -- enormously rich army and and interest and they had they resort dire -- exaggerated the position of the right.
Two of the point of distraction bullish for -- but he was a great -- Say like -- mean to elect a very nice -- I'm -- I mean is just lawyers in the charming thing are -- Tuesday it at least at the time -- -- -- -- varies.
-- where he gets the joke as or I mean he -- congress -- sort of performance art.
He he learned how to kind of make himself an indispensable member of of a Democratic Party and a deep facto spokesman just like speaking a lot.
But but he also -- on news on the he was about Anthony and what you want most of all to be mayor of new York and and -- And -- it wasn't growing interest in going to subcommittee hearings are helping out this fellow Democrats and so when his world that explode there was nobody around.
By his side what is your -- what did you learn.
On background fault no background what did you learn about kind of fallen more -- -- well I mean I -- one thing I learned was that I mean he had.
-- alienated a lot of people in this caucus just -- Showing a disinterested in on numb in.
You know that the furtherance of that of the Democratic Party was about himself while solar and frankly there's very very hard on his staff and I think you know one of on the one of the tougher boss -- sort foreign Capitol Hill and in and talking to a lot of his former staffers.
Who by no means were like running around trying to do a kiss and tell but in looking them up and managing -- -- to talk to me it was almost like therapy emanating he.
He really worked him over pretty hard to be really really.
Really -- -- -- and turnover of -- all right yeah yeah except that they believed in him I mean they've they sought to you know this guy's brilliant he's gonna be mayor Sunday and downs.
Maybe it'll all be worth that working for him and I think they felt sort of doubling -- as a result of this crash and -- news sports I am I am.
I love football on the Tennessee -- fan but I actually don't know who they picked with a twentieth fix our analysts and newspapers and other third -- of the titans -- -- -- effect.
All of all of what the current month and you've memorized.
Two dollars.
-- to become a Tennessee Titans they were the Houston Oilers and order Houston originally in our -- -- my loyalties just transferred over to to Tennessee and and for.
And so I go to their games down again but I also still on loyal also the other Houston teams like the Houston Astros -- -- -- sales -- Huntsville Texas Spittler uses -- different now on general levels -- Joan -- in our -- -- Is any time world champion cowboys not Jennings and his rodeo torsion -- -- to charitable for a console wants or and then there was a novel as of it was based on a prison town that the details on some incidents the whole institution has a great town to town -- crime pay some albeit -- days.
And and Huntsville Jackson and I drove it does feel like that men live Bennett maritime.
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