Summary: MSNBC Host and Editor-at-Large of The Nation Chris Hayes argues that the decline of meritocracy in U.S. leadership is resulting in elites that cannot help but fail. "We have a social model that is breaking down before our eyes," says Hayes, "a method of elite selection that is growing increasingly sclerotic, rigged, and corrupt." Complete video available for purchase at http://fora.tv/2012/07/11/MSNBCs_Chris_Hayes_Meritocracy_and_Americas_Failing In his new book, MSNBC's rising star Hayes offers a radically novel answer to what led America into the "Fail Decade": an era plagued with the failure of Congress, Wall Street and even Major League Baseball. An expert on political culture and political economy, Hayes mixes deft political analysis, timely social commentary, and deep historical understanding while offering a powerful argument that traces the roots of our present crisis and mistrust of authority to an unlikely source: meritocracy.
