Is the Tea Party Undoing Party Unity in the GOP?
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When Republicans won control of the Congress, they appeared to be on a role. Now it's unclear whether established leaders or movement conservatives are in control. Will internal divisions limit the party's effectiveness on Capitol Hill and in next year's elections? Also, Mohamed ElBaradei returns ahead of major demonstrations in Egypt, and the New York Times published secret documents obtained from WikiLeaks. Now the paper is publishing a book about what it learned and about WikiLeaks' founder Julian Assange.
Banner image: (L to R) Congresswoman Michele Bachmann (R-MN) and Speaker of the House John Boehner (R-OH)
Making News
ElBaradei Returns Ahead of Major Demonstrations in Egypt ()
Despite government efforts to crack down, Egypt saw more demonstrations today, and Nobel peace laureate Mohamed ElBaradei said he was ready to come home and lead the protest. Reporter Mona El-Naggar is in Cairo for the New York Times.
Guests:
- Mona El-Naggar: Reporter, New York Times
Main Topic
Can Republicans Keep Their Party Together? ()
House Speaker John Boehner has said that taking control of Congress was "the first big adult moment" in years for the Republican Party. Now the very same Tea Partiers and other movement conservatives that helped Republicans win control of the Congress are challenging the GOP establishment, starting with Michele Bachmann. The controversial Minnesota Congresswoman says she's not Boehner's rival, but she got national attention with a televised response to the State of the Union speech even though Wisconsin's Paul Ryan had just provided the official rebuttal. Veteran Senators Hatch, Lugar and Snowe face challenges in next year's GOP primaries, and Presidential hopefuls may face a right-wing litmus test in New Hampshire. Is the Party divided between pragmatists who want to work within the system and ideologues who want to blow it up?
Michele Bachmann responds to State of the Union
Guests:
- Charles Babington: Political Reporter, Associated Press, @cbabington
- Kathryn Pearson: Professor of Political Science, University of Minnesota
- David Weigel: Political Reporter, Slate.com, @daveweigel
- Josh Kraushaar: Executive Editor, The Hotline, @HotlineJosh
- John Hawkins: Editor, RightWingNews.com and Linkiest.com, @johnhawkinsrwn
- Dean Spiliotes: Civic Scholar, Southern New Hampshire University
Reporter's Notebook
The New York Times and WikiLeaks ()
The New York Times is one of five publications which first published State Department cables and other secret documents provided by WikiLeaks and its controversial founder Julian Assange. But during the process, there was a falling out. Now the Times is publishing an electronic book about how it all happened. Open Secrets: WikiLeaks, War and American Diplomacy will go on sale on Amazon, Apple's iBooks and other e-platforms. WikiLeaks has denounced it as "another self-serving smear" and "a dark day for US journalism." Chief Washington correspondent David Sanger is one of the authors.
Guests:
- David Sanger: Washington Correspondent, New York Times, @SangerNYT
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