Satirist and Shaker Heights native Andy Borowitz discusses new book "Profiles in Ignorance"

For over 20 years, Andy Borowitz, a Shaker Heights native, has been skewering American politics and culture through his satirical column "The Borowitz Report", which can be found in The New Yorker.

He now has a new book out, his first in 10 years, titled "Profiles in Ignorance: How America's Politicians Got Dumb and Dumber".

In the book, Borowitz argues that over the past 50 years, American politicians have grown increasingly resistant to knowledge.

He traces that trend back through the power of television and other mass media, and says those things push politicians to become more 'performer' than qualified office holder.

Borowitz recently sat down with Ideastream Producer Drew Maziasz to discuss the new book, how he addresses both the humorous and scary elements of politics, and how we can work to change things.

- Andy Borowitz, Author, "Profiles in Ignorance: How America's Politicians Got Dumb and Dumber"

- Drew Maziasz, Producer, Ideastream Public Media