Award-winning playwright Tony Kushner, author of the screenplay for “Lincoln,” sits down with Bill Moyers for a winding conversation about how the script was written and whether comparisons between Barack Obama and the 16th president are fair.

Both figures are consummate political game players, Kushner believes:

“You can’t pretend that Wall Street doesn’t have horrendously strong and undue influence on the country,” he said. “But if you want to get regulation of the financial sector you’re going to have to unfortunately to some extent work with Wall Street. Because if you go in naively, you’ll find out very quickly how much of what happens in this country Wall Street controls. And one thing I love about Obama is that he is absolutely not naive. You don’t get elected president, when you’re a black guy if you’re naive. This man — I couldn’t get elected dogcatcher in my building. He’s managed this miracle, he’s re-elected American president.”

— Posted by Alexander Reed Kelly.

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#abraham lincoln#bill moyers#moyers & company#steven spielberg#tony kushner#video