The power of the President to pardon convicted criminals is enshrined in the Constitution, but many experts have criticized the recent use of pardons and calls for reform have grown louder.  Governors Bredesen and Haslam are joined by Mike Nelson, professor of political science at Rhodes College and Steve Vladeck, professor of law at Georgetown University (and returning YMBR guest), to discuss this power, what the Framers of the Constitution intended, and how it could be reformed.

Presidents from both parties have tried to make government leaner – with mixed results. Governors Bredesen and Haslam are joined by Elaine Kamarck of the Brookings Institution and Jim Capretta of AEI to discuss what a smaller, more efficient government might look like – and if it’s realistic. Drawing on their own experiences in the Clinton and George W. Bush administrations, the guests discuss the real drivers of federal spending and whether efforts like the Department of Government Efficiency could make a difference. 

To kick off a new season of You Might Be Right, Heather Long, opinion columnist for The Washington Post, and James Lake, associate professor of economics at the University of Tennessee, join Governors Bredesen and Haslam to discuss trade policy and the impact of tariffs. 

Following an unprecedented presidential campaign, Andy Busch, Associate Director of the Institute of American Civics at the Baker School, and Lindsay Chervinsky, a presidential historian and executive director of the George Washington Presidential Library at Mount Vernon, join Governors Bredesen and Haslam to debrief the election. What have we learned and what can history tell us about what might be next?

Steve Vladeck, law professor at Georgetown and CNN Supreme Court analyst, and John McGinnis, law professor at Northwestern, join Governors Bredesen and Haslam to discuss the impact of polarization and declining public trust on the Supreme Court. Is the Supreme Court as partisan as Americans think it is? Are reforms needed to help rebuild trust? 

While constitutional issues are at the heart of many of our disagreements, it may also be the solution to our increasing political polarization. Yuval Levin, Senior Fellow at the American Enterprise Institute and author of a new book “American Covenant”, join Governors Bredesen and Haslam to explore how the Constitution can guide us to disagree constructively and resolve problems. 

Anthony Foxx, Secretary of Transportation in the Obama Administration and Margaret Spellings, Secretary of Education in the Bush Administration, join Governors Bredesen and Haslam for a wide-ranging conversation, reflecting on experiences navigating divisions then and the changes they see today. They also share lessons learned while in office, from navigating relationships with the White House and Congress to memorable encounters with Dick Cheney and Grover Norquist. This episode was recorded live at Davidson College in September 2024.

Brothers, professors, and authors Hyrum Lewis and Verlan Lewis join Governors Bredesen and Haslam to discuss their new book “The Myth of Left and Right”, and its premise that the “left” and “right” are social groups united by tribal loyalty rather than consistent philosophies.  Could a more multidimensional view of politics improve our civic discourse? This episode was recorded live at the Chattanooga Rotary Club in August 2024. 

Are Americans as divided as we think we are? To kick off Season Five, Rachel Kleinfeld, Rachel Kleinfeld, an international relations scholar and senior fellow in the Democracy, Conflict and Governance program at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, joins Governors Bredesen and Haslam to discuss what the research says about the roots and repercussions of polarization in American politics.

Two years and over 200,000 downloads later, "You Might Be Righ"t has inspired listeners nationwide. To mark this milestone, we invited our most avid listeners to ask Governors Bredesen and Haslam questions about the podcast, their time in office, and current hot topics.