Politics

In addition to voting for President Barack Obama, Maryland voted yes on all seven statewide ballot questions.

Test your knowledge of the presidential candidates and American political history with Dan and guests.  Also, an interview with Kenneth Davis, author of "Don't Know Much About The American Presidents."

In the aftermath of the recession, income inequality in the U.S. reached a new high, according to the Census Bureau, and no surprise to political economist and Marketplace commentator Robert Reich. He says our political and economic systems are rigged against average working people. But what to do about it? Reich, former U.S. labor secretary, talks about his election year ebook, “Beyond Outrage: What has gone wrong with our economy and our democracy, and how to fix it.” Original air date 10/3/12

Pulitzer Prize-winning journalists Donald Barlett and James Steele say Congress is complicit in the destruction of American manufacturing and the secure jobs that once fueled our economy. They say it helped dismantle private pension systems while cutting taxes for the wealthy. Barlett and Steele, who have been reporting on U.S. economic and political issues for more than 30 years, are authors of “The Betrayal of the American Dream.” Original air date 8/28/12

It's a hot topic in the battleground state of Ohio -- the 2008 multibillion-dollar bailout of the automobile industry by the Bush and Obama administrations. An important swing state with 18 electoral votes and thousands of auto workers, Ohio has voted for the winner in every presidential election since 1960. John Davis, the Emmy Award-winning host, executive producer and creator of Maryland Public Television’s MotorWeek, assesses the state of the U.S.

Tom Hall reaches out to people in Garrett County and on the Eastern Shore for an update on post-Sandy conditions.

One of the referenda on the ballot next week that has gotten less attention than others is the Congressional redistricting map. Marylanders will be able to decide whether to abide by the obviously gerrymandered map. Sheilah talks with a law professor and journalist about the controversial map.

The Maryland Dream Act is one of three controversial items up for a vote on the statewide ballot this November. The act, approved by the General Assembly but petitioned to referendum, would allow undocumented immigrants who have graduated from a Maryland high school to pay in-state tuition rates at Maryland community colleges and universities. Our guests: State Sen. Bill Ferguson (D-Baltimore City), a supporter of the Dream Act, and Brad Botwin, director of Help Save Maryland, an organization opposed to the new law. Original air date 10/11/12

It’s a pterodactyl. Or, maybe an ink blot. No, it’s blood spatter… Opinions are mixed on what some of Maryland’s new Congressional districts look like. What is clear is that they are gerrymandered for political purposes.

Web Extra: Both major political parties are guilty of gerrymandering. Would one party ever stop without public pressure?

Web Extra: On court challenges to redistricting maps around the country