Shadow Congress - What's That Difference?

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i think where this would be particularly effective is when there's obvious corruption happening, or obvious lobbyist influence. I mean, you know, gun control is a great example where people are divided about this,. But 90 % of americans believe in universal background checks. This is a democrat republican. I the shadow congress would overwhelmingly pass it. And so you'd sort of, ou'd highlight this effect very, very quickly. It would be a very effective way to hold people accountable.

Does power corrupt, or are corrupt people drawn to power? Are entrepreneurs who embezzle and cops who kill the result of poorly designed systems or are they simply bad people? What sort of people aspire to power anyway? Are there individuals among us who should never be given the title of president, or CEO, or PTA leader lest they build their own dictatorship?

Michael Shermer speaks with Brian Klaas, a renowned political scientist, Washington Post columnist and creator of the award-winning Power Corrupts podcast, about his long sought answers to the above questions.

In his new book Klaas draws on over 500 interviews with some of the world’s top leaders — from the noblest to the most crooked — including presidents and philanthropists as well as rebels, cultists, and dictators, to get to the root of power and corruption. Klaas dives into how facial appearance determines who we pick as leaders, why narcissists make more money, why some people don’t want power at all and others are drawn to it out of a psychopathic impulse, and why being the “beta” (second in command) may be the optimal place for health and well-being.