Constitutional Chats Presented By Constituting America

Constitutional Chats Presented By Constituting America

Next in the line of succession for the Presidency, after the Vice President. Presiding officer over all 435 members of the U.S. House of Representatives. Responsible for implementing a legislative agenda.  Today we are discussing one of the most powerful positions in our federal government, the Speaker of the House of Representatives.  What are the duties of the speaker?  How does the Speaker influence federal policymaking.  What role does the Speaker play politically in getting individuals elected and reelected?  To walk us through the day to day life of the Speaker...

Constitutional Chats Presented By Constituting America

Constitutional Chats Podcast Episode 247 For being such a public figure, the role of the First Lady of the United States is not well-defined.  Some have taken very public roles and played a part in crafting and changing policy and others prefer to be a bit more low-profile.  Since the role is not defined by any law or statute, it is up to each First Lady to determine the visibility and role they will play in a presidential administration.  To guide our student panel through these ever-changing roles, we have a veteran of 4 White House administrations across 3...

Constitutional Chats Presented By Constituting America

The American Revolution ended in 1781.  The Treaty of Paris was signed in 1783.  George Washington was elected our country’s first president in 1788 and sworn in 1789.  Besides the Constitutional Convention 1787, there has not been significant  scholarly study into what George Washington was doing in the intervening years between the end of the Revolutionary War and his election as President.  Our guest today wrote a book on those years called, “The Return of George Washington: Uniting the States, 1783-1789” and will chat with our student panel on Washington’s...

Constitutional Chats Presented By Constituting America

The Executive Branch of our country, led by the President, oversees millions of federal employees and hundreds of White House staff.  Obviously, the President cannot directly manage all of these employees.  To aid in this administrative function, the President appoints several dozen “Assistants to the President.”  This is the highest ranking staff position in the White House and their duty is to provide strategic counsel and oversee major initiatives based on goals set by the President.  To further explain this role, we have a former Assistant to the President on our...

Constitutional Chats Presented By Constituting America

He was a university president who became the President of the United States.  He took us into war with Germany in World War I but later won a Nobel Peace Prize as the leading architect behind the League of Nations.  To discuss our 28th President with our student panel, we are pleased to welcome Christopher Cox to talk about his book, “Woodrow Wilson: The Light Withdrawn.”

Constitutional Chats Presented By Constituting America

The idea of the United States acquiring Greenland is not a new idea.  This idea has been kicked around since the 19th century but revisited with the new presidential administration.  Why would the US have an interest in acquiring Greenland?  What are the strategic and economic advantages in doing so?  How could this acquisition be compared to the Louisiana Purchase?  And can it even happen?  There are lots of questions surrounding this timely topic and to help our student panel address them, we are happy to welcome back Jim Pinkerton.  Jim is a longtime...

Constitutional Chats Presented By Constituting America

When one presidential administration ends, another begins.  While the public watches the transition on TV, behind the scenes there’s a well orchestrated symphony executing the plan to bring in a new administration.  To walk us through the nuts and bolts of what happens behind the scenes, we are joined by a veteran of one such transition as a guest today!  Sean Spicer served as the 30th White House Press Secretary and Acting White House Communications Director during the first Trump administration and will share his insight into this historic day.

Constitutional Chats Presented By Constituting America

How do you create limited, but at the same time, strong and effective government?  In tackling this problem, our Founders relied on three branches with each branch having strong offensive and defensive weapons to use against the other branches’ possible encroachments.  The Founders understood an ineffective government is just as dangerous to liberty as an authoritarian government.  They wanted a strong executive branch but didn’t want that power concentrated in one person to devolve into tyranny.  To walk us through this fascinating topic, we are pleased to welcome...

Constitutional Chats Presented By Constituting America

Free speech was so important to our Founders they wrote it into the First Amendment to the Constitution.  Over the last decade, we have seen an erosion of free speech support through cancel culture, suppression on college campuses and “fact checkers” on social media platforms.  Did we finally reach a tipping point and are beginning to rally once again around the idea of free speech?  Just this week we saw Meta announce they will no longer use fact checkers but community notes in their platforms.  To discuss this topic with our all-star student panel, we are pleased to...

Constitutional Chats Presented By Constituting America

It’s 1787.  Under the current Articles of Confederation the American experiment is struggling.  James Madison knew a new guiding document was needed.  Once opposed to a Bill of Rights, it was Madison who would ultimately introduce the Bill of Rights in 1789.  Why was Madison originally opposed to a Bill of Rights?  What documents influenced him?  Why were the Bill of Rights necessary and what were the criticisms of the Constitution before the Bill of Rights?  Discussing this momentous event in history with our student panel, we are happy to welcome...