Politics

Produced by Chris Cuffe

Alyssa Rosenberg is the pop culture blogger for thinkprogress.org.  She joins us to review this season's political stories on television, and explain who does it best and why.

Links:

• From 'Boss' to 'Glee,' Do Any of This Season's TV Shows Get Politics Ready?

Tax collections were off in the month of October by $4 million dollars. The drop in tobacco revenue makes up the majority of the shortfall.

The tobacco tax brought in $2.6 million less than expected in October.

That shortfall has prompted criticism of the GOP push to cut the tax by a dime back in June.

In a sharply worded press release about the overall budget House Democrats said it doesn’t make sense to “make college more expensive and cigarettes cheaper.”

The congressional “super committee” is only tasked with cutting one point two trillion dollars from the federal debt. But Second District Republican Congressman Charlie Bass is asking the panel to cut even deeper, even if it taxes are thrown into the mix.

Secretary of State Bill Gardner chooses expected date, and says NH tradition lives on.

NH law requires its primary be held at least a week before any similar election. When Nevada tried to schedule its caucus in mid-January, NH threatened to hold the primary in December. Under pressure from national republicans and facing a boycott from some candidates, Nevada backed off, giving NH’s secretary of state Bill Gardner the window he sought.

"The tradition of NH presidential primary lives on and it will be held on the second Tuesday, the 10th day of next year 2012.

Republican presidential candidate Jon Huntsman says energy security would be a driving force behind his administration.  Huntsman laid out a three-part strategy that is unlikely to  find favor with either farmers in Iowa or environmentalists nationwide.

"Why have fundamentally good people, with good intentions, allowed our democracy to be co-opted by outside interests?", asks Harvard professor, Lawrence Lessig. His new book "Republic, Lost" explores how he says money has corrupted American politics.  Lessig blames special interests and campaign finance rules to the fact that U.S citizens trust government less than ever. He also  suggests  a widespread mobilization and new Constitution Convention to regain control over what he says is a 'corrupted but redeemable representational system. 

Guest

As one of the nation's top experts on U.S. Senate office decor, no one is more pleased than me that New Hampshire's Kelly Ayotte decided to bring "Oscar the Moose" to Washington.

Republican presidential candidate Rick Perry addressed hundreds of social conservatives in Manchester, Friday night. The Texas governor’s speech ranged well beyond social issues.

A huge crowd filled a ballroom at the annual meeting of Cornerstone, the state’s leading advocacy group against abortion and gay marriage.  If he’s to close the gap in the polls, Perry needs these voters and he made sure to connect with them with lines like this.

"Children need to be raised in a loving home by a mother and a father."

Texas Governor Rick Perry tells reporters he doesn't look at polls and plans to win here. NHPR's Josh Rogers reports.

 As he filed his candidacy Rick Perry touted his record on jobs as Texas Governor and brushed aside questions about his steep drop in the polls.

“I am here to win. I am here to talk to the people of NH about here how we get americans to back to work in, and you know granite staters get it.”