Chris Hayes, host of All In on msnbc, answered your questions from msnbc.com and Facebook. Check out his responses below:
Reader questions were edited for typos and remain in their original format.
iCriticalTheory: Chris Hayes, your book Twilight of the Elites has impacted me greatly & Up w/ Chris literally influenced me to switch majors: I am now a Political Science major and active with Young Activists United – St. Louis.
What are you currently reading? Also, Dead Prez, Let’s Get Free!, one of the best hip hop albums of all time. Agree or disagree? Fav. song from album? #inners
Chris Hayes: Let’s Get Free is, indeed, great, though I don’t think all time Top Ten. That’s awesome about TOTE’s influence on your educational trajectory. Right now I just started Greg Grandin’s amazing new book Empire of Necessity about Melville and slavery in the New World.
@chembaron: I’m an American living in the UK enjoying the benefits of social healthcare. Are you jelly? #inners
Chris Hayes: Ha! Well, I’m a great admirer of the NHS, but not jealous of having David Cameron as my country’s elected leader. (Though I will admit it would make me tremendously happy to see the U.S. GOP adopt the Tories position on climate change)
@jarrodmyrick: Do you agree w/ me that #UBI should be power-pumped thru budget reconciliation? #inners
Chris Hayes: Your indefatigable advocacy for a UBI is one of my favorite parts of twitter. If we could ever get a UBI proposal with a shot at passing the Senate, it would have to be through reconciliation, so: yes!
@NJHighlands: What’s the latest on the “Years Of Living Dangerously” series? Do you plan any new Climate Change coverage on All In anytime soon?
Chris Hayes: I’m glad you asked. The series premiere’s on April 13th on Showtime. I *just* tracked the vocals for my first episode, which I’m really proud of, and it will air on April 27th. As for coverage on All In we’ve always got more climate coverage planned!
inners4life: I’ve long believed that the GOP was missing a huge political opportunity by seizing the issue of criminal justice — mainly sentencing and drug policy. It’s a totally up-for-grabs issue in that neither party has been particularly “good” on it (though, by “good” I come from a bias against current policy and in favor of a more liberal/libertarian policy). With Rand Paul’s ascendancy, it seems like the GOP can distinguish itself from the Democrats on this (as the Dems are moving very incrementally of late). What are your thoughts, and could this be the way the Republicans broaden appeal to those communities most victimized by racist and ineffective criminal justice policies?
Chris Hayes: Lefties like myself who are opposed to our current criminal justice policies have long hoped for a powerful political coalition with conservatives skeptical of state power to change a system that puts more people in prison, per capita, than any other democracy in the world. I think we’re seeing lots of encouraging movement toward such a coalition, lots of grassroots interest among certain portions of the right, but we’re still a ways a way.
billyban: When both houses of Congress are a majority of Republicans this fall what do you think will happen to Obamacare?
Chris Hayes: Short answer: if R’s control the Senate, I don’t think you’ll see much that successfully dismantles the core of the law. I imagine some implementation funding will be cut, but barring some historically unprecedented wave, there won’t be a veto-proof majority in either house, and there’s just no way that in his final two years in office the president will do anything that will endanger the long-term viability of his most significant domestic legislative accomplishment.
Cagan: My question concerns Senator Ted Cruz. I have suspected and suggested for some time that his actual target is Senate majority leader. I believe his latest action toward Senator McConnell support my concerns. Do you agree?
Chris Hayes: I don’t think Senate majority leader is what he has his eyes on: if he did, he wouldn’t be going out of his way to infuriate his fellow GOP senators who will, of course, be the ones voting for Senate majority leader. Given that a former staffer of his just left to join a Draft Ted Cruz for President SuperPAC, I think he’s got his eyes on another job…









