Constitutional Chats Presented By Constituting America

Constitutional Chats Presented By Constituting America

A mission statement for an organization is a list of aspirational goals.  It brings purpose and summarizes values.  Through that lens, perhaps we should look at our Declaration of Independence and Constitution as the mission statement for our country.  Both documents lay out our country’s values and goals in becoming a “more perfect union.” Our guest today, our board member Jay McConville, wrote an essay for one of our recent online studies in which he contrasts our country’s mission statement with that of communism via The Communist Manifesto.  Jay is a military...

Constitutional Chats Presented By Constituting America

Through the separation of powers, the Founders fully intended for each branch of government to be combative with the others.  This fighting amongst the branches, they hoped, would protect our liberties and inhibit abuse of power.  Each presidential administration must deal with the judicial branch in implementing their agenda, when cases involving their agenda are brought to court. This is what we are discussing today.  To help us understand the intricacies of the current judiciary and executive relationship, we are pleased to have as our guest a veteran of all three...

Constitutional Chats Presented By Constituting America

It’s been called “The World’s Greatest Deliberative Body.”  One-third of its members are elected every two years, and serve six year terms.  Presided over by the Vice President of the United States.  We are of course talking about the United State Senate.  The Founders created the Senate with a purpose, to be a place when debate happens as a “House of Reason.”  To walk us through the Senate and what separates it from the way the House of Representatives does business, we are thrilled to have two guests on our show this week.  Josh Holmes, host of the...

Constitutional Chats Presented By Constituting America

One of the genius aspects of the United States Constitution is the emphasis on protecting individual liberty.  The document protects liberty through separation of powers so power is not concentrated exclusively in any one branch.  To fulfill the desires of the people, the process through which national legislation is introduced begins on the floor of either the U.S. House or the U.S. Senate.  Today, we are talking about the process and procedures for legislation on the floor of the U.S. House.  To walk us through this sometimes confusing process, we are delighted to welcome...

Constitutional Chats Presented By Constituting America

Did you know there are thousands upon thousands of bills filed every year in the US House and Senate?  Only a fraction of those reach a floor vote and only a small amount of those are passed and signed into law.  Before a bill can reach the floor, it must first go through the committee process.  To help us learn what this process is and what it entails, we are delighted to welcome Cyrus Artz. Cyrus is the former staff director of the House Committee on Education and Workforce, and currently a senior policy advisor in the Office of the Speaker of the U.S. House of...

Constitutional Chats Presented By Constituting America

Article 1 of the US Constitution creates Congress and gives Congress the power to write and pass laws.  But what does that process look like?  What is the procedure through which a bill introduced in one chamber is then passed in the other chamber?  What is the committee process and its effect on whether or not a bill comes to the floor for a vote?  What influence can the average American have in this process?  To discuss this rather complex process, we are excited to welcome Dr. Dave Brat to our chat this week.  Dr. Brat is a former...

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...