Why Congress is Failing Us

Political scholars Norman Ornstein and Thomas Mann tell Bill that Congress' failure to make progress on gun control last week -- despite support for background checks from 90% of the American public -- is symptomatic of a legislative branch reduced to dysfunction, partisan ravings and obstruction. A year ago, the two -- who had strong reputations as non-partisan analysts -- decided to speak truth to power with their book "It's Even Worse Than It Looks: How the American Constitutional System Collided with the New Politics of Extremism". In it, they argue that congressional gridlock is mostly the fault of right wing radicals within the Republican Party who engage in "policy hostage-taking" to extend their political war against the president. What's more, Ornstein and Mann say, the mainstream media and media fact-checkers add to the problem by indulging in "false equivalency" -- pretending both parties are equally to blame.