As a business owner, you’d probably rather have a tooth pulled than sit down and write emails to your list or copy for a sales page. Each week, Rob Fortier, content marketing coach, will bring you inspiring insights or motivating guests to help you go from a blank page to a completed project. If you’re a coach, consultant, or solopreneur, and you aspire to grow your business using email, social media, blogging, video, or any other form of marketing that uses the written word, then this is th ...
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Congress is the least liked and perhaps least understood part of government. But it’s vital to our constitutional government. Congress is the only branch equipped to work through our diverse nation’s disagreements and decide on the law. To better understand the First Branch, join host Kevin Kosar and guests as they explain its infrastructure, culture, procedures, history, and more.
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How Does Media Affect Our Perceptions of Congress? (with Rob Oldham)
27:46
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The topic of this episode is, “How does media affect our perceptions of Congress?’ As listeners no doubt know, Americans are down on Congress. Public approval of Congress has averaged about 20 percent over the past 20 years, according to Gallup. Certainly, the people on Capitol Hill are partly to blame. We have legislators who behave as if they are…
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Special Books Edition: An Interview with Michael Johnson, Author of Fixing Congress: Restoring Power to the People
25:12
25:12
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25:12
The topic of this special episode of the Understanding Congress podcast is a recent book by Michael Johnson and Jerome Climer. The book is titled, Fixing Congress: Restoring Power to the People (Morgan James Publishing, 2024). Mr. Johnson and Mr. Climer each have spent more than four decades in Washington, DC and have had stints working inside Cong…
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Does Congress Still Suffer from Demosclerosis? (with Jonathan Rauch)
30:24
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30:24
The topic of this episode is, “Does Congress still suffer from Demosclerosis?" My guest is Jonathan Rauch, the author of the classic book, Demosclerosis: The Silent Killer of American Government (Times Books, 1994). Jonathan is a fellow at the Brookings Institution, and the author of numerous books, including The Constitution of Knowledge (Brooking…
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What Is Congress’ Role in a Contingent Presidential Election? (with John Fortier)
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24:05
The topic of this episode is, "what is Congress' role in a contingent presidential election?" Two centuries ago, America had a contingent presidential election. No candidate got a majority of votes, and thus it fell to Congress to decide who got to be president. Might the United States have another contingent election? Certainly it is possible. Fou…
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Special Books Edition: An Interview with Bradley Podliska, Author of Fire Alarm: The Investigation of the U.S. House Select Committee on Benghazi
23:32
23:32
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23:32
This topic of this special episode of the Understanding Congress podcast is a recent book by a former Hill staffer. It is titled Fire Alarm: The Investigation of the U.S. House Select Committee on Benghazi (Lexington Books, 2023) The author is Bradley F. Podliska is an Assistant Professor of Military and Security Studies at the U.S. Air Force Air C…
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Why Can’t Congress Budget Responsibly? (with Rep. David Schweikert)
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32:50
The topic of this episode is “Why is Congress struggling to manage the nation’s finances?” My guest is Representative David Schweikert of Arizona. He was first elected to Congress in 2011. Prior to that, he was a businessman, served in Arizona’s state legislature, and as Maricopa County Treasurer. He is a Republican and holds a seat on the Ways and…
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What Is Legislative Effectiveness? (with Craig Volden)
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24:38
The topic of this episode is, “What is legislative effectiveness?” We voters often say that we want our senators and members of Congress to do things, and preferably, the right things. We tend to dislike it when we see people on Capitol Hill who are all talk and no action. And in theory, we should vote out of office those lawmakers who are ineffect…
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What Is the State of the Union Address, and Why Does Congress Host It? (with Matt Glassman)
21:36
21:36
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21:36
The topic of this episode is, What is the State of the Union Address, and Why Does Congress Host It? Once per year, the President of the United States comes to the U.S. Capitol to deliver a speech known as the State of the Union Address. Usually this happens in late January or early February, but it has occurred as late as March 1. Both members of …
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What Is Congressional Capacity, and Why Does It Matter? (with Kevin Kosar)
19:46
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19:46
The topic of this episode is, “What is congressional capacity, and why does it matter?” As regular listeners know, almost inevitably I have a guest on my show. But this episode, you get just me. The reason is simple: I have been working on congressional capacity for years, and I would like to share my thoughts and hear your feedback. Kevin Kosar: W…
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Delegates to the House of Representatives: Who Are They and What Do They Do? (with Elliot Mamet)
21:23
21:23
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21:23
The topic of this episode is, “Delegates to the House of Representatives: who are they and what do they do?” My guest is Elliot Mamet. He is a Postdoctoral Research Associate and Lecturer at the Princeton School of Public and International Affairs. Previously, he served as an American Political Science Association Congressional Fellow. Elliot holds…
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How Is Congress Involved in Foreign Policy? (With Jordan Tama)
26:40
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26:40
The topic of this episode is, “How is Congress involved in foreign policy?” My guest is Jordan Tama, a Provost Associate Professor at American University’s School of International Service. He is the author or editor of five books on foreign policy. They are: · Polarization and US Foreign Policy: When Politics Crosses the Water’s Edge, co-edited wit…
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Can Congress Access Classified Information? (with Daniel Schuman)
28:32
28:32
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28:32
The topic of this episode is, “Can Congress access classified information?” My guest is Daniel Schuman. He is the Policy Director at Demand Progress, a grassroots, nonpartisan organization that has worked to improve the legislative branch and to make government more transparent to the public. Daniel also is the editor of the First Branch Forecast, …
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What Does the U.S. Government Accountability Office Do? (with Gene Dodaro)
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32:21
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32:21
The topic of this episode is, “What does the U.S. Government Accountability Office do?” To answer that question we have Gene Dodaro. He is the eighth Comptroller General of the United States—that means he is the head of the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO). He has held that position since December 2010. Prior to becoming the top dog at t…
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What Is the Congressional Research Service, and What Does It Do? (with Kevin Kosar)
24:09
24:09
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24:09
The topic of this episode is, “What is the Congressional Research Service, and what does it do?” The guest of this show is me, Kevin Kosar. I spent a little over a decade at the Congressional Research Service (CRS) working as a non-partisan analyst and as an acting section research manager. Subsequent to my time at the agency, I was one of the indi…
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Does the Senate Still Work? (with Marty Gold)
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29:26
The topic of this episode is, “Does the Senate still work?” To answer that question, we have Martin Gold, a partner with Capital Council, LLC, a government relations firm in Washington, DC. Marty spent many years in the US Senate working for individual senators, committees, and a majority leader. He also is the author of the book, Senate Procedure …
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Why Is Congressional Oversight Important, and How Can It Be Done Well? (with Elise Bean)
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22:02
The topic of this episode is, “Why is congressional oversight important, and how can it be done well?” To help us tackle this subject we have Elise Bean. She is the Director of the Washington Office of Wayne State University’s Levin Center. Elise spent 30 years in Congress working as an investigator for Sen. Carl Levin (D-MI) and for the Senate Per…
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What Are the Job Descriptions of Representatives and Senators? (with Casey Burgat)
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29:02
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The topic of this episode is: “What are the job descriptions of representatives and Senators?” To answer that question, we have Dr. Casey Burgat. He's the director of the Legislative Affairs program at the Graduate School of Political Management at George Washington University. Dr. Burgat also has had stints at the Congressional Research Service, a…
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What Is the Congressional Debt Limit? (with Phil Wallach)
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22:02
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22:02
The topic of this episode is: "What is the congressional debt limit?" To answer that question we are once again speaking with Philip Wallach. He was the very first guest on this podcast, where we pondered why we need a Congress. Phil is a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, and the author of the book, Why Congress, which was publish…
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What Do Congressional Committees Do? (with Maya Kornberg)
22:20
22:20
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22:20
The topic of this episode is, “What do congressional committees do?” My guest is Dr. Maya Kornberg. She is a political scientist in the Elections and Government Program at the Brennan Center. Dr. Kornberg leads the center’s work related to information and disinformation in politics, Congress, and money in politics. Maya also is the author of Inside…
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Partisan Polarization: Is It Crippling Congress? (with Frances E. Lee)
24:49
24:49
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24:49
The topic of this episode is: “Partisan polarization: Is it crippling Congress?” My guest is Frances Lee. She is a professor of politics and public affairs at Princeton University and a top scholar on Congress. She is the author and co-author of many articles and books on Congress, and has written for popular publications including the Atlantic mag…
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What Are the Duties of the Speaker of the House of Representatives? (with Paul Ryan)
18:15
18:15
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18:15
The topic of this episode is, “What are the Duties of the Speaker of the House of Representatives?” My guest is Paul Ryan. Paul Ryan was the 54th Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives. In office from October 2015 to January 2019, he was the youngest Speaker in nearly 150 years. Prior to becoming Speaker of the House, Paul served as the Chair…
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Are Elections Fueling Polarization in the House of Representatives? (with Andrew B. Hall)
26:16
26:16
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26:16
The subject of this episode is, “Are elections fueling polarization in the House of Representatives?” Polarization in Congress is a well-documented fact of life. This is particularly true on high salience issues, such as immigration and abortion. Yet the tendency of legislators to reflexively oppose policy ideas offered by the other party has bled …
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Are Members of the House of Representatives Legislating in the Dark? (with James M. Curry)
21:14
21:14
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21:14
The topic of this episode is, “Are members of the House of Representatives legislating in the dark?” My guest is James Curry. He's an Associate Professor and the Director of Graduate Studies in the Department of Political Science at the University of Utah. Professor Curry studies how contemporary legislative processes and institutions affect legisl…
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Who Was the Meanest Man in Congress? (with Timothy J. McNulty)
23:42
23:42
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23:42
The topic of this episode is, “Who was the meanest man in Congress?” My guest is Timothy J. McNulty, who taught journalism at Northwestern University and spent more than thirty years at the Chicago Tribune. During his years as a journalist, Tim was a national and foreign correspondent, and also an editor. He logged untold hours paying attention to …
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What Role Should Congress Have in Foreign Affairs? (with Alissa Ardito)
26:36
26:36
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26:36
The topic of this episode is, “What role should Congress have in foreign affairs?” My guest is Alissa Ardito, the author of the book Machiavelli and the Modern State: The Prince, the Discourses on Livy, and the Extended Territorial Republic (Cambridge University Press, 2015). She has had a rich and varied career in governance, and she has thought d…
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