Firing Line with Margaret Hoover

"Congress has come to see itself as a secondary player in a fundamentally presidential drama, so that the question they always face in their own minds is a yes or no question about the president…," says @AEI's Yuval Levin. "They're not in the business of hosting podcasts about the president. They have a real job to do."

Yuval Levin of @AEI says what stands out most about the Declaration of Independence is "the premise that we're all created equal." "It calls itself self-evident, but it's not at all self-evident, not if you look at human history." Follow on Apple: bit.ly/4d0WOi2

"Primaries are poison," says @AEI senior fellow Yuval Levin, arguing partisan primaries distort our politics. "Primaries have ended up being an anti-democratic element of our system because they empower a very, very narrow sliver of the American people to make the essential first mover choice in our system." Follow on Apple: bit.ly/4d0WOi2

Of the 12,000 amendments that have been proposed, the Constitution has only been amended 27 times since the founding of America. Did the founders intend for it to be so hard? “They disagreed on this question,” said @RosenJeffrey, CEO emeritus of the @ConstitutionCtr. “One thing we've learned from American history is you can't pass amendments without national movements for them. They're not top-down, they're from the bottom up.”

Yuval Levin, a senior fellow at @AEI, says Congress has become "the most dysfunctional" branch of our government. "Congress is sitting on the sidelines watching it happen and functioning as a kind of commentariat rather than as the chief actor in the system."

"We like to think of ourselves as a young people...but the United States has had the same government for longer than any other society in the modern world." @AEI Senior Fellow Yuval Levin and @ConstitutionCtr CEO Emeritus @RosenJeffrey reflect on America's enduring ideals. FULL EPISODE: bit.ly/4cN8ne8

.@RosenJeffrey, CEO emeritus of @ConstitutionCtr, reflects on the clash of ideas between Thomas Jefferson and Alexander Hamilton. "Hamilton believed that you needed an executive strong enough to resist popular demagoguery...Jefferson is the opposite. He wants a one-term limit for the president, so he won't be tempted to install himself as a dictator." Follow on Spotify: bit.ly/429Ct5o

The framers of the Constitution intended for the House of Representatives to regularly expand as the population grew, but that has not happened for over 100 years. “It's just a way to restore the logic of the system,” said Yuval Levin of @AEI, who supports expanding the House by 150 members. “Growing the House is not a silver bullet, but it's part of a larger effort to help Congress help itself.”

Yuval Levin of @AEI says by centralizing power, @newtgingrich didn’t just reshape Congress—he weakened it, turning lawmakers into loyalists and the speaker akin to a prime minister. “The idea that the speaker should function as a kind of prime minister, that he should be able to wield Congress as a weapon against the president of the other party, ended up meaning that the rest of the members of Congress look to party leaders for direction.” “In many ways this would be James Madison's nightmare,” said @RosenJeffrey, CEO emeritus of the @ConstitutionCtr.

As America approaches its 250th birthday, what are we celebrating? Yuval Levin and @RosenJeffrey, this week on Firing Line with @MargaretHoover. firinglineshow.substack.com/p/as-america-a…

"I don't think anybody looking at 21st century America would say, we're doing great," says @AEI senior fellow Yuval Levin. "The question is, is America aware of its ideals, do we understand where we're falling short, and are we looking for ways to do something about it?... What stands out about our country is that we can hold ourselves to account."

"In the 21st century, for all of our many problems...we have a lot to be grateful for in those founding ideals and documents." Yuval Levin and @RosenJeffrey reflect on the promise of America--and whether the nation is living up to it. FRIDAY @PBS Local listings: to.pbs.org/39hI6Tf

On a 1997 #FiringLine, @RameshPonnuru discussed the impact of @NewtGingrich’s first term as House speaker. Our guests are two constitutional scholars who say Congress today is failing to do the job the founders intended. #GuesstheGuests

This term, the Supreme Court will decide whether to weaken the Voting Rights Act. @RepJamesClyburn says if it does, Black representation will “retrogress.” “In the 1870s, South Carolina was allocated five Congresspeople, four of them were Black. And in 1902, zero Black.”

The Supreme Court's decision could give states new latitude to redraw congressional maps in ways that shift the balance of political power. to.pbs.org/48yMJaS

House Republicans are struggling to move forward on several major pieces of legislation, including an extension of U.S. surveillance authorities, ending the Department of Homeland Security shutdown and advancing key farm policy. to.pbs.org/3OUntoH

The Federal Reserve held rates steady Wednesday, as expected, but it was a significant day for the central bank as it transitions to new leadership. to.pbs.org/4cLZIag

In his new documentary, “Everyone Is Lying to You for Money,” actor and filmmaker @ben_mckenzie interviewed people who had been scammed by crypto—and yet all of them still believe in cryptocurrency. “I think for some of these guys, this was a major investment for them, not just financially, but mentally, psychologically. This was their ticket out. This was their way to achieve the American dream.”

The FCC says the review of the licenses is tied to Disney’s DEI initiatives, but it’s widely seen as retaliation in the ongoing battle between President Trump and ABC late-night host Jimmy Kimmel. to.pbs.org/4tIstfs

The Supreme Court's conservative majority found that the Louisiana congressional district relied too heavily on race. to.pbs.org/4n4zi8M