Utterly Moderate Podcast

On this episode of the Utterly Moderate Podcast we are joined by Nyla Rose, who wrestles weekly on TNT and TBS for All Elite Wrestling (AEW), and independent wrestler/promoter Jimmy Z. We discuss all things professional wrestling!

Make sure to check us out at ConnorsForum.org!

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On this episode of Utterly Moderate we are joined by editor-at-large of the Bulwark Bill Kristol and University of Baltimore law professor Kimberly Wehle. Both Kristol and Wehle help host Lawrence Eppard sort through a bizarre story about elector fraud in the 2020 presidential election as well as how to fix the Electoral Count Act.

Most Americans are probably aware that we use the Electoral College to elect presidents. When this happens, state government officials sign “certificates of ascertainment” which verify the state’s electors and who they voted for in the election. These are sent with documentation signed by the electors themselves to the National Archives who process them and then send them to Congress to count on January 6th.

According to documents obtained by an organization called American Oversight and covered by Politico, CNN, the Bulwark, and others, in the weeks after the 2020 election, Trump supporters sent fake election certificates to the National Archives declaring that Trump won five states that he actually lost: Georgia, Arizona, Michigan, Wisconsin, and Nevada. Some of the people involved were top GOP officials in the states in question.

The Bulwark has covered this extensively:

One of the biggest problems with all of this has to do with the Electoral Count Act. A lot of political commentary right now is focused on voting rights, and for good reason. But the biggest immediate threat to our democracy seems to be loopholes in the Electoral Count Act.

As Philip Rotner notes, “Nothing in either of the voting rights bills currently pending before Congress would inhibit partisan state officials, acting under color of law, from attempting to overturn popular elections in their states.” Our guest today, Kimberly Wehle, noted last October that, “There are massive holes in the Electoral Count Act. It is stunning that there is nothing requiring states to count the popular vote. Arizona is proposing legislation to ignore the popular vote and allow the state legislature to pick the electors. That is not democracy. If this is not addressed, state legislatures and/or Congress can steal the next election. The future of our republic is at stake.” Writing in the Bulwark on January 17th Chris Truax noted that, “Congress is free to reject any state’s electoral votes for any reason at all. All that is required is the votes in Congress and the political will to act.”

Segment One: Bill Kristol

Segment Two: Kimberly Wehle

Articles Referenced in this Episode:

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On this episode of the Utterly Moderate Podcast, host Lawrence Eppard is joined by former Republican South Carolina Congressman and current executive director of RepublicEN.org Bob Inglis.

On their website, RepublicEN asserts that, “We are the EcoRight. . . We stand together because we believe in the power of American free enterprise and innovation to solve climate change. Together, we encourage, embolden, and applaud conservative climate leadership. . . The age of conservative climate disputation is over.” Check them out at RepublicEN.org!

Eppard talks to Inglis about his intellectual journey on climate change, the work that they do at RepublicEN, how conservative principles can help solve the problem of climate change, as well as the future of the GOP.

Then in segment two Eppard discusses a variety of news items, including:

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On this episode of the Utterly Moderate Podcast, host Lawrence Eppard is joined by a number of political scientists to discuss a variety of topics, from Joe Manchin to the Electoral Count Act to the future of American political parties and much more!

Be sure to visit ConnorsForum.org for more about us!

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On this bonus mini-episode of the Utterly Moderate Podcast we speak with Jim Helms, who every year delights children in the Richmond, Virginia area by playing Santa Claus.

We hope all of our listeners have a Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, and wonderful 2022! See you in the new year with many more episodes!

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This is part one of our Christmas episode!

We are joined on this episode of the Utterly Moderate Podcast by SNL legend Rachel Dratch to discuss her funny new movie A Clüsterfünke Christmas, which she co-wrote and co-starred in with Ana Gasteyer.

You can watch A Clüsterfünke Christmas on Comedy Central, Hulu Live, or iTunes!

Throughout this episode we also feature beautiful Christmas music from the Shippensburg University Choir!

Make sure to tune in to the forthcoming part two of this Christmas episode where we talk to the one and only Santa Claus himself!

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Rosalind Wiseman joins the Utterly Moderate Podcast to discuss her work promoting dignity and civility among young Americans.

Wiseman is the author of a number of books, including Defending Ourselves, Queen Bees & Wannabees, and Masterminds & Wingmen.

The movie Mean Girls, which starred Lindsay Lohan and Rachal McAdams, was actually based on Queen Bees & Wannabees.

Wiseman is the co-founder and chief content officer of the organization Cultures of Dignity, which works with communities across the country to promote young people’s physical and emotional wellbeing.

On this episode we discuss the importance of social and emotional learning, promoting a culture of dignity and civility, the pitfalls of too much tech and social media, the impact of the pandemic on young people, Wiseman's forthcoming book (Courageous Discomfort) dealing with how to have constructive conversations about difficult topics like racism, and more.

As a bonus, we also discuss an extremely embarrassing story from Ali’s past!

Quote of the episode (from Rosalind): “Be easy on people, hard on ideas.”

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In America, we talk so much about freedom as it is a central part of our identity.

When it comes to what freedom entails, most Americans would agree that there are political, social, and economic dimensions. Most agree that in a free society there is a need for order, justice, security, opportunity, and fairness. There is a shared sense that freedom requires the absence of harm and undue interference. Most believe that freedom requires a variety of rights, including those related to speech, property, voting, religion, fair legal treatment, assembly, the press, and so on.  

One important thing to remember in these conversations is not just to focus on being free from something, but free to do something as well. Being free from tyranny does not necessarily mean the conditions exist which allow you to live a full life. That freedom requires not merely the absence of something but the presence of something as well.

Climate change might be seen as a threat to the freedom and well-being of not only all Americans living today, but for their children and grandchildren, since greenhouse gas emissions can be locked into the atmosphere for generations.

The sooner we act, the less damage there will be to our society and to Earth’s ecosystems and the lower the economic cost.

There has been a lot about climate change in the news lately, with the release of the recent IPCC assessment and COP26 in Glasgow.

To help us understand this, Dr. James Gerber joins the Utterly Moderate Podcast.

Gerber is the co-director and lead scientist of the Global Landscapes Initiative (GLI) at the Institute on the Environment at the University of Minnesota.

After listening to this episode, make sure to explore climate solutions at Project Drawdown or climate research at the AAAS.

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October was National Book Month, and to celebrate we were joined on the Utterly Moderate Podcast by children's book publishing expert Heather Lennon to talk about the industry she loves and the joys of reading.

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“Steppin’ In” by Podington Bear (creative commons)

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American democracy is facing very serious challenges, as we have noted in much of our work (see just a few examples here and here and here). One of the greatest threats is that posed by misinformation and disinformation, as many Americans turn away from credible news and information sources and instead rely on low-quality outlets.

With this in mind, on November 2, 2021, we hosted a panel to discuss the importance of journalism in restoring our democracy. Our panel included:

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