Obama asking lawmakers to defy public opinion on Syria

As President Barack Obama gets ready to address the nation tonight about Syria, the White House continues to lobby members of Congress to back military action that nation.

Classified briefings and lunches with administration officials are greeting lawmakers in Washington this week even as many of them are getting an earful from constituents back home. Polls show public opinion firmly against any military strike in Syria.

How do lawmakers weigh the decision to buck their constituents? MPR's Phil Picardi spoke with Carleton College political science professor Steven Schier about that question.

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