Fareed Zakaria, host of Fareed Zakaria GPS on CNN, was here with Eliot Spitzer last week. The video above highlights wide ranging discussion between both men that touched on Libya, Syria, Governor Walker’s battle with public unions in Wisconsin and immigration. On the fight over collective bargaining in Wisconsin, Spitzer had this to say:

“The reality that unions have significant leverage is mirrored by the power of corporations, other political entities. That does not provide for me a significant basis to take away their organizational rights. It does mean that Governors, anybody negotiating for the public, needs to be incredibly tough. And you can be. And in fact, the unions in Wisconsin said, ‘we will give you all of the financial give backs you want, we understand the fiscal distress. But do not take away our associational right.’ It’s like saying to people ‘we don’t like the outcome of the election, we’re taking away your right to vote.’ No, you make your case more persuasively, negotiate more aggressively. So I sympathize with the budgetary crisis, but not the remedy of changing our fundamental constitutional rights that we provide to people.”

Conversation on Governor Walker and the unions in Wisconsin come at the 5:50 mark.

Upcoming Talks at 92Y include Jeff Greenfield in Conversation with Charlie Rose on March 20; Frank Rich in Conversation with Jill Abramson on March 22 and Paul Krugman interviewed by Jeff Greenfield on March 29.

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