Episode #309: Pleading the 22nd

It may be 2020 but the dysfunction in Congress is nothing new.  And that’s especially true within the two chambers themselves, as a huge pile of legislation passed by the House sits on Mitch McConnell’s desk.  A few years ago we spoke with two former congressmen — Tom Davis, Republican of Virginia, and Martin Frost, Democrat of Texas — who wrote a book explaining what’s wrong with the legislative branch of government and offering tips on how to fix it.

For all the examples of Donald Trump ignoring and even betraying conservative principles during his presidency, the Right loves him.  Charlie Sykes, a prominent former conservative radio show host, has written a book talk wondering what has happened to the movement once led by Barry Goldwater and Ronald Reagan.

Trump has often joked about seeking a third term in 2024, which of course is constitutionally impossible.  It was no joking matter when FDR sought a third term in 1940 (and even a fourth term in ’44).  Republicans were so outraged that at their first opportunity, they passed a constitutional amendment assuring it could never happen again. David Crockett, an associate professor of political science at Trinity University, is an expert on the origins of the 22nd Amendment.

And when is a politician really crying, and when is it perceived as crocodile tears?  Tom Lutz, a professor at the University of California at Riverside, talks about that.

Music used in this podcast:

In Another Land by The Rolling Stones

We Can Work It Out by The Beatles

Losing My Mind by Daughtry

Out of Time by The Rolling Stones

Daddy by Coldplay

Crying by Roy Orbison