Few embraced their place in American culture with such passion and relish. Gore Vidal was the ultimate man of letters who once said "There is no human problem which could not be solved if people would simply do as I advise."

In response to the Wisconsin Budget Repair Bill that sought to end collective bargaining, thousands of people throughout Wisconsin protested Governor Scott Walker and what they saw as a violation of their rights. At its peak, 100,000 people had congregated at the State Capitol in opposition. Though the bill eventually passed the state legislature, seemingly overnight, a movement was born. And it didn't end in Wisconsin — the critical mass that began in the Midwest quickly spread to nearly every state in the country, taking the form of the Occupy Wall Street movement.

It's time for the recall elections in Wisconsin. John Nichols of The Nation believes this is the picture of democracy and, to get ready for the big event, he's prepared a question and answer primer to explain what this means for Democrats, Wisconsin and the country as a whole.

With daily newspapers closing across America, Washington bureaus and international bureaus being shuttered, Robert W. McChesney and John Nichols investigate the crisis in news and talk about the future of journalism. In The Death and Life of American Journalism: The Media Revolution that Will Begin the World Again, they ...

First, call in with your tales from the global economy: Did your job cross the border without you? Are your biggest customers overseas? Are you now supervising workers in Bangalore? Call in and comment below.

Then
Philip Levy, resident scholar at the American Enterprise Institute and ...

Each party votes on a party platform during their convention, but we rarely hear about what’s in it or how it got there. John Nichols, DC correspondent for The Nation, joins us from Denver to discuss the Democrats’ 2008 party platform and what role it will ...