My guest today on RIGHT IN DC is Matt K. Lewis, senior columnist for the Daily Beast, a CNN political commentator and author of the book, “Too Dumb to Fail: How the GOP Went from the Party of Reagan to the Party of Trump” (Hachette Books, 2016).

Our discussion includes:

• Why he thinks his book is ahead of the curve• The main thesis of the book• His autopsy on the midterms• Why he cares about the Republican party• The dangers of policing his own side• Why he wants to save conservatism• Why 9/11 awakened/created many new conservatives, like the Tea Party, but they lacked the intellectual knowledge of the conservative movement• Pamela Geller as an example of the zealotry of the new convert• The October 2013 shutdown of the government by Sen. Ted Cruz supported by the Tea Party• How and why President Reagan was rooted in conservative philosophy, was a deep knowledgeable thinker, yet why he purposely wanted to be underestimated• Why politicians no longer cultivate friendships with people on the other side, include the press that cover them• How Reagan attempted to co-opt the press• The conservative movement's strange fascination with celebrities• Practical solutions/insights for people who care about the conservative movement• How much should conservatives try to change culture?Being a conservative writer versus a writer with conservative tendencies• Why the liberal media don’t even realize how biased they areHow liberals say even more outrageous statements in the green room at TV studios because they assume everyone around them agrees• Why the news media have the short-term thinking problem of beating the competition rather than trying to save the reputation of their industry

More about Matt:Matt K. Lewis is a senior columnist for The Daily Beast, and his work has appeared in The Wall Street Journal, GQ, The Washington Post, The Week, Roll Call, Politico, The Telegraph, The Independent, and The Guardian. He previously served as senior contributor for The Daily Caller, and before that, as a columnist for AOL’s Politics Daily. He records a weekly podcast, "Matt Lewis and the News." In 2011, Business Insider listed him as one of the 50 "Pundits You Need To Pay Attention To," and in 2012 the American Conservative Union honored Matt as their CPAC "Blogger of the Year." He lives with his family in Alexandria, VA.WEBSITE: http://www.mattklewis.com/TWITTER: @mattklewisPODCAST: "Matt Lewis and the News" on iTunes---Gayle Totter's Website: https://gayletrotter.com/Twitter: @gayletrotterSupport Gayle's RIGHT IN DC Podcasts: www.patreon.com/gayletrotter