The Brian Lehrer Show

Sen. Trent Lott, Republican Whip

Lobbying Limits

Tuesday, November 27, 2007

Trent Lott’s resignation from the Senate may be timed to get out before new restrictions on lobbying kick in. What does the law say on when former members of Congress can become lobbyists and why is it changing on January 1st? Also, Naomi Wolf on lessons from the Weimar Republic for America today. We check in on the Middle East Peace summit in Annapolis, Maryland, and get the scoop on the West Side rail yards development plans. Finally, a call in: will Oprah's endorsement of Barack Obama affect your vote?

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Lobbying Limits

Dick Dadey, executive director of the Citizen's Union , a watchdog for the public interest and an advocate for good government, and Sarah Dufendach, vice president for legislative affairs at Common Cause, discuss the change to the lobbying rules that may have affected the timing of Trent Lott's resignation.

All We are Saying, is Give Peace a Chance

Steve Clemons, the director of foreign affairs at the New America Foundation and publisher of the The Washington Note, compares the Middle East Peace summit in Annapolis to another summit held at the same location in 1786.

The Washington Note

West Side Redux

Five developers just unveiled plans for the West Side railyards in Manhattan. Lockhart Steele, publisher of Curbed.com assesses the plans.

Curbed's take on the railyard plans

Losing Democracy

Naomi Wolf, author of the best-selling The Beauty Myth, likens what is happening in the U.S. with other democracies that became dictatorships, including Weimar Germany, in her new book, The End of America: Letter of Warning To A Young Patriot. Historian Eric Weitz, author of Weimar Germany: Promise and Tragedy, joins her to look more deeply at the comparison between then and now.

The End of America is available for purchase at Amazon.com.

Weimar Germany is available for purchase at Amazon.com.

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Open Phones: The O Factor

Do celebrity endorsements matter? Oprah Winfrey has endorsed Barack Obama, how does that endorsement, or any endorsement, affect your vote?

All We are Saying, is Give Peace a Change

Steve Clemons, the director of foreign affairs at the New America Foundation and publisher of the thewashingtonnote.com, checks back in to react to President Bush's speech on the Annapolis Middle East Peace summit.