ad info

 
CNN.comTranscripts
 
Editions | myCNN | Video | Audio | Headline News Brief | Feedback  

 

  Search
 
 

 

TOP STORIES

Bush signs order opening 'faith-based' charity office for business

Rescues continue 4 days after devastating India earthquake

DaimlerChrysler employees join rapidly swelling ranks of laid-off U.S. workers

Disney's GO.com is a goner

(MORE)

MARKETS
4:30pm ET, 4/16
144.70
8257.60
3.71
1394.72
10.90
879.91
 


WORLD

U.S.

POLITICS

LAW

TECHNOLOGY

ENTERTAINMENT

 
TRAVEL

ARTS & STYLE



(MORE HEADLINES)
 
CNN Websites
Networks image


Saturday Morning News

David Broder Discusses 'Democracy Derailed'

Aired April 1, 2000 - 8:37 a.m. ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: An alternative form of government is spreading across the country. That's the findings of David Broder, senior political columnist for "The Washington Post." It's known as the ballot initiative. You can read all about it in his new book, "Democracy Derailed." It will be in bookstores on April 5th.

David Broder joins me from our Washington bureau this morning.

Thank you so much for being with us, Mr. Broder.

DAVID BRODER, AUTHOR, "DEMOCRACY DERAILED": Good to be with you.

PHILLIPS: All right, well, look, let's define government initiative and why it's so strong in our country right now.

BRODER: The initiative process came into our country about 100 years ago, an import from Switzerland. It was brought here by reformers who called themselves progressives, who saw that the legislatures of their days had almost literally been bought up by the railroads and the banks and the other big corporate interests. They thought if by letting people write the laws themselves on the ballot that they could bypass those corrupted legislatures and restore democracy.

We now have the initiative process available in 24 states, the District of Columbia and cities, hundreds of cities all across the country from New York to Honolulu. And in the last 20 years particularly, Kyra, it's become a very popular way of writing laws, bypassing all of the checks and balances and the politics of legislatures and governors.

PHILLIPS: And it sounds like an interesting concept. But through your investigation, you found something very interesting in regard to who is behind the initiative industry. What did you find?

BRODER: Well, what I found when I was doing this reporting was that as in many other areas of our politics, it's now being driven very much by money. Millions with their own political agendas, interest groups of all kinds have latched onto this device as a way of writing the law the way they would like it written without having to go through all the hoops of the normal governmental process.

PHILLIPS: So let's suppose the initiative industry just stopped dead in its tracks. Could this stop the power of money from corrupting politics?

BRODER: No. It certainly wouldn't. But I think it's particularly ironic that a device that was introduced into this country as a way of fighting special interest influence and the power of money now has been largely taken over by those same interest groups and by very wealthy millions who have the resources that it takes now to get an initiative on the ballot and to fight these campaigns to get them passed or defeated in the states.

PHILLIPS: You say it's a revolt against representative government. A lot of people just don't trust their politicians. Are you saying that it should go back in the hands of politicians? Is that because you think they're more well informed versus a millionaire with an agenda?

BRODER: Well, I think the folks who wrote the constitution of the United States were probably a lot smarter than most of us in this generation and they were very clear in their minds that what they created at the Constitutional Convention was what they called a republic in which we would govern ourselves through elected representatives who would be accountable to us, the voters, at election time.

But the republic, republican form of government would give us protections for individual rights and also give protections to the legitimate concerns of groups in our country that may constitute less than a majority at any given moment but whose concerns as citizens deserve respect and some deference in the political process.

PHILLIPS: David Broder. The book is "Democracy Derailed." Definitely a good read. Thanks for being with us this morning.

BRODER: Thank you. I enjoyed being with you.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com

 Search   


Back to the top  © 2001 Cable News Network. All Rights Reserved.
Terms under which this service is provided to you.
Read our privacy guidelines.