American Politics

Writer Susan Trento's new book about the merging of lobbying and public relations in politics is called "The Power House." It takes a look at Robert Keith Gray and his role in this trend.

Senior writer for U.S. News and World Report Steve Roberts, and a regular on PBS's "Washington Weekend Review." President Bush has often blamed Congress for stalling on or gridlocking legislation. Terry talks with Roberts about this assertion, whether or not its true, and if so, why? And what kind of impact does it have on the President's ability to govern?

Scott Lively is the Director of Communications for the Oregon Citizen's Alliance, the group that brought an anti-gay initiative to the ballot, known as Ballot Mesaure 9. It would amend the Oregon constitution to outlaw "promoting, encouraging or facilitating homosexuality." Terry also talks to Peggy Norman, who manages the campaign against the measure, called "No on 9."

Robert Knight, director of the Cultural Studies Project at the Family Research Council (FRC), a Washington-based lobbying group that concerns itself with family values. He says that the two-parent heterosexual family is the foundation of civilization, and that anything else is dysfunctional (that includes homosexuals and one-parent households).

Jamieson is the Dean of the Annenberg School of Communications at the University of Pennsylvania. She's been called "the leading academic authority on politics and advertising" by the New York Times. She'll talk about negative campaigning by both parties, and give her take on the recent conventions. Her new book, "Dirty Politics: Deception, Distraction and Democracy," is about how TV ads and speeches shape contemporary campaigns.

Liebman shocked his political associates and friends when he announced in 1990 that he was gay. His new autobiography is "Coming Out Conservative." Liebman joins Fresh Air to talk about his frustration with his party's family values platform, which he says is just a code word for homophobia.

Political consultant Samuel Popkin. He's an advisor to the Clinton campaign and author of "The Reasoning Voter," a book about how voters chose candidates. He'll talk with Marty about the importance of family values on the campaign, as well as the role of the women in the political process.

Policy Director for Pat Buchanan, Terry Jeffrey. He'll talk to guest host Marty Moss-Coane about the conservative agenda that Pat Buchanan and other conservatives are putting forth, and about the religious and cultural war Buchanan spoke about Monday night at the GOP convention.

Brokaw will report on the Republican National Convention from Houston along with Jim Lehrer and Robert MacNeil as a joint effort by NBC and PBS.

Michael Duffy, the White House correspondent for Time Magazine, has just co-written the book "Marching in Place: The Status Quo Presidency of George Bush." It's the first critical assessment of the Bush presidency. He joins Fresh Air to talk about the president's political and personal convictions, and how these are brought to bear on his governing.