Background Briefing - Sunday, October 24, 2010

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Robert D. Putnam is the Peter and Isabel Malkin Professor of Public Policy at Harvard University and former dean of the John F. Kennedy School of Government. He founded the Saguaro Seminar, a program dedicated to fostering civic engagement in America. He is the author or coauthor of a dozen books including Bowling Alone: The Collapse and Revival of American Community, Better Together: Restoring the American Community, and Making Democracy Work. His latest book, with David Campbell, is American Grace: How Religion Divides and Unites Us, which examines the complex interaction of religion and politics over the last 50 years and assesses how religion both contributes and detracts from the vibrancy and stability of American democracy.

Francis Megahy is a veteran TV and film writer, director, and producer. He joins us in the studio today to talk about his new documentary "The Best Government Money Can Buy?," a behind-the-scenes, comprehensive, and non-partisan examination of the system of lobbying in Washington, DC.