Historian and author Richard Shenkman talked about his book Just How Stupid Are We?: Facing the Truth About the American Voter (Basic Books; June 9, 2008). Professor Shenkman argues that as American voters have gained more political power than ever before in the last 50 years, they are not exercising their power wisely and are more and more susceptible to campaign slogans and easy solutions because they do not take the time to educate themselves about the issues and the candidates. He provides such statistics as that most Americans can not name their representatives in Congress or even know that there are three branches of government. He talked about how politicians have repeatedly misled voters and the dumbing down of American politics via marketing, spin machines, and misinformation. He urged reinvigorating civic responsibility in an era where people are more consumers than citizens and providing people with the leadership to efficaciously participate in the political process. He compared the current state of information overload with the previous system of leadership by party bosses. Professor Shenkman also talked about his life and career and his own political activities. Topics included the difficulty in providing conservative balance at the History News Network since most history professionals are liberals. He also reacted to a video clip of a February 5, 1999, interview and to his Washington Post article of Sunday, September 7, 2008, about five myths about voters. Rick Shenkman book's have included Legends, Lies, and Cherished Myths of American History and Presidential Ambition: Gaining Power at Any Cost. He is the editor and founder of the History News Network and he blogs about the 2008 election.