This week, Paul Stekler returns to the podcast to discuss the government shutdown and the media's response to it.

Zachary delights with his absurdist poem, "Golden Toilet Sank the Titanic."

Paul Stekler is an acclaimed documentary filmmaker and founder of the Center for Politics and Governance at the LBJ School of Public Affairs. His film work includes “George Wallace: Settin' the Woods on Fire,” “Last Man Standing: Politics, Texas Style,” two segments of the “Eyes on the Prize II” series on the history of civil rights, “Last Stand at Little Big Horn” (broadcast as part of PBS's series “The American Experience”), “Louisiana Boys: Raised on Politics” (broadcast on PBS's “P.O.V.” series) and “Getting Back to Abnormal.” His films have won two Peabody Awards, three duPont-Columbia University Journalism Awards, three Emmy Awards and a special jury prize at the Sundance Film Festival. Stekler has a doctorate in government from Harvard University, where his work focused on Southern politics. He previously was a political pollster in Louisiana while teaching at Tulane University. His writing has appeared in the Texas Observer, Texas Monthly and the International Documentary Association’s magazine, among other places, and in the book, “Killing Custer," co-written with novelist James Welch. Stekler was named film school Mentor of the Year in 2014 by Variety magazine.