The U.S. House has impeached President Donald Trump, for an unprecedented second time. This time, a majority of members of Congress endorsed a single article of impeachment for "incitement of insurrection," based on Trump's urging a crowd of his supporters to march to the Capitol where both houses of Congress were meeting to count electoral votes, urging the crowd to go pressure members of Congress to overturn the results in key states that Trump lost. Once the House officially transmits the article of impeachment to the Senate, they will be able to conduct a trial, which could result in conviction and disqualification of Trump from federal office in the future, ensuring he could not be President ever again.
I spoke with an expert on impeachment, Frank O. Bowman, III, the Floyd R. Gibson Missouri Endowed Professor of Law, at the University of Missouri School of Law. He has many areas of expertise, including legal history and the impeachment of the President and other federal officers. We discussed the history of impeachment, his thoughts on the strengths and shortcomings of the single article of impeachment, as well as where blame lies surrounding the riot at the Capitol on January 6.
LINKS
--Frank Bowman University of Missouri web profile
--High Crimes and Misdemeanors: A History of Impeachment for the Age of Trump, by Frank O. Bowman, III
--"Impeachable offenses: Examining the case for removal of the 45th President of the United States" (Bowman's blog)
--"The constitutional case for impeaching Donald Trump (again)," by Frank O. Bowman, III (in Just Security)
--Text of the impeachment resolution approved by the U.S. House on January 13, 2021
Special Guest: Frank Bowman.
In the wake of the violence and destruction resulting from mob action in the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021, and given that many view President Donald Trump's public comments beforehand as inciting the mob's action, House Democrats have presented a single article of impeachment with a vote likely imminent. If this happens, Trump would be the first U.S. president impeached twice. I recently spoke with Sarah Binder, Professor of Political Science at The George Washington University, and Senior Fellow in Governance Studies at the Brookings Institution, speaking with her about impeachment politics, as well as things to watch as Democrats prepare to regain control of the Senate, albeit by the thinnest of margins.
LINKS
--Binder's GWU profile
--Binder's Brookings profile
--"What to expect when Congress counts the electoral college votes on Wednesday," by Sarah Binder (Washington Post's Monkey Cage, January 4, 2021)
--"Impeachment resolution cites Trump's 'incitement' of Capitol insurrection," Brian Naylor (NPR, January 11, 2021)
--"Impeachment lessons: Where has deliberation gone?" Sarah A. Binder & Steven S. Smith (Brookings, December 13, 1998)
--"We're on the road to impeachment. Here's what you need to know about what's ahead," Sarah Binder (Washington Post's Monkey Cage, December 12, 2019)
Special Guest: Sarah Binder.
We all eat, but we don't all eat well. How can we do so? In particular, what dietary choices are best for an individual's physical wellness? And how much do individuals' unique characteristics determine what choices are best for them? And what choices are best for the environment? Why are calories and "food miles" overrated as metrics? How can governments help consumers make good food choices, especially if they live in food deserts? I discuss such questions with genetic epidemiologist Tim Spector.
LINKS
--Tim Spector's King's College web profile
--Spoon-Fed: Why Almost Everything We've Been Told About Food is Wrong (2020), by Tim Spector
--The Guardian review of Spoon-Fed (by Bee Wilson)
--Information on Zoe (program through which individuals learn more about how their bodies process food)
--"The human microbiome: Our second genome," by Elizabeth Grice & Julia Sege (2012), Annual Review of Genomics and Human Genetics
--"Attempts to lose weight among adults in the United States, 2013-2016," report from the CDC: National Center for Health Statistics
--"Chile battles obesity with stop signs on packaged foods," by Eileen Smith (2016) for National Public Radio
Special Guest: Tim Spector.
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Even though some conspiracy theories are only endorsed by a small fraction of the population, it is likely a mistake to write off all who believe in conspiracy theories, especially since some theories are endorsed more widely, and with substantial effect. I discuss these issues with two conspiracy theory researchers: Stephanie Kelley-Romano of the Bates College Department of Rhetoric, Film, and Screen Studies, and Joanne Miller of the University of Delaware Department of Political Science & International Relations.
LINKS
--Stephanie Kelley-Romano's Bates College web profile
--Joanne Miller's University of Delaware web profile
--"Trust no one: The conspiracy genre on American television," (Stephanie Kelley-Romano, in The Southern Communication Journal)
--"Make American hate again: Donald Trump and th birther conspiracy," (Stephanie Kelley-Romano & Kathryn Carew, in The Journal of Hate Studies)
--"Conspiracy endorsement as motivated reasoning: The moderating roles of political knowledge and trust," (Joanne Miller, Kyle Saunders, & Christina Farhart, in American Journal of Political Science)
--"Gender differences in COVID-19 conspiracy theory beliefs," (Erin Cassese, Christina Farhart, & Joanne Miller, in Politics & Gender)
--Little A'Le'Inn (Rachel, NV)
Special Guests: Joanne Miller and Stephanie Kelley-Romano.
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The firings and resignations of senior civilian officials at the Pentagon--most notably of Secretary of Defense Mark Esper--has raised alarm in many quarters. Many are also concerned about President Trump's refusal to concede the election and his refusal to support a transition to the administration of President-elect Joe Biden. I discuss these concerns, and other issues, with Roger Williams University Professor of Law, and expert on national security law, Peter Margulies.
LINKS
--Peter Margulies's Roger Williams University profile
--"Trump administration removes senior defense officials and installs loyalists, triggering alarm at Pentagon," by Barbara Starr, Zachary Cohen, & Ryan Browne, for CNN
--"Is it mere spite--or something more sinister?" by Michael T. Klare, for The Nation
--"Exclusive: Top official on U.S. election cybersecurity tells associates he expects to be fired," by Christopher Bing, Joseph Menn, & Raphael Satter, for Reuters
--"Kavanaugh decision sides with immigrant seeking factual review of denied torture claim," by Debra Cassens Weiss, for ABAJournal
Special Guest: Peter Margulies.
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As Democrats were reminded (the hard way) in 2016, elections don't always turn out as we expect them to. When a political party loses an election, especially if it does more poorly than expected, it often has tough, self-reflective conversations about what happened. In so doing, parties try to learn lessons from their losses. University of Denver political scientist has written about these issues in his new book, Learning from Loss: The Democrats, 2016-2020.
LINKS
--Seth Masket's DU profile
--Learning from Loss: The Democrats, 2016-2020 (Amazon)
--"Amid tears and anger, House Democrats promise 'deep dive' on election losses," by Luke Broadwater and Nicholas Fandos (New York Times, 2020, Nov. 5)
--"Susan Collins was never going to lose," by Robert Messenger (New York Times, 2020, Nov. 6)
--Fair Fight (Voting Rights Organization founded by Stacey Abrams)
Special Guest: Seth Masket.
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Many people discuss the public's trust in, and willingness to accord legitimacy to, U.S. courts, especially the Supreme Court. But why does that trust and legitimacy matter? What factors determine it? How might recent Republican maneuvering affect legitimacy, including maneuvering that has recently resulted in the confirmation of President Trump's third Supreme Court nomineee? What might be the impact of Democrats' increasing the number of seats on the Supreme Court? How might race matter for any of these questions? I discuss such questions with University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee political scientist Sara Benesh.
LINKS
--Sara Benesh's website
--"Understanding public confidence in American courts," Sara Benesh. (2006). Journal of Politics
--"Be Careful with My Court," Shawn C. Fettig & Sara C. Benesh. (2016), in The Chief Justice: Appointment and Influence, Artemus Ward and David Danelski, Editors. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan.
--"Blacks and the United States Supreme Court: Models of Diffuse Support," James L. Gibson & Gregory A. Caldeira. (1992). The Journal of Politics
Special Guest: Sara Benesh.
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My generation, and the ones before mine, have really screwed things up, it seems. But eventually, younger people will take their place as leaders (and some already are). For all our screw-ups, those of us who have some years under our belts can potentially play helpful roles as mentors, as younger folks find their way. I recently had a chance to talk about mentorship with Jean Rhodes, an influential expert on the topic, and the Frank L. Boyden Professor of Psychology at the University of Massachusetts Boston. She studies intergenerational relationships, especially formal and informal mentorship, and their effects on the development of youth, particularly marginalized youth. Among the issues we discussed: What is the impact of mentorship? When is it most effective? What’s the role of gender and race? What does it take to be a good mentor? And what kinds of policies can support effective mentoring?
LINKS
--Jean Rhodes web profile
--New York Times obituary on George Albee
--"The effects of youth mentoring programs: A meta-analysis of outcome studies," Raposa et al. (2019), Journal of Youth and Adolescence
--Older and Wiser: New Ideas for Youth Mentoring in the 21st Century, by Jean E. Rhodes
Special Guest: Jean Rhodes.
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As the COVID-19 pandemic continues, many people have called for hazard pay for "essential workers" to compensate them for additional risks they encounter because they have to go in to work in person. For example, I'm aware of such calls for custodial workers at colleges and universities that have invited students to campus. Indeed, I've encountered such arguments at the institution where I teach. In this episode, I discuss such issues with philosopher Doug McConnell, who recently published on the topic. We talk about the conditions that can justify hazard pay, we discuss other forms of relevant compensation, we discuss the relevance of race and ethnicity, and we discuss more.
LINKS
--Doug McConnell's Oxford profile
--"Compensation and hazard pay for key workers during an epidemic: an argument from analogy," by Doug McConnell & Dominic Wilkinson, in the Journal of Medical Ethics
--"UT employee petition urges regents to move most classes online, provide hazard pay," by Lara Korte, in the Austin American-Statesman
--"A majority of workers are fearful of coronavirus infections at work, especially Black, Hispanic, and low- and middle-income workers," by Peter Dorman & Lawrence Mishel, from the Economic Policy Institute
--"'Heroes or hostages?': Communities of color bear the burden of essential work in coronavirus crisis," by Catherine Thorbecke, for ABC News
--"Balancing the duty to treat with the duty to family in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic," by Doug McConnell, in the Journal of Medical Ethics
Special Guest: Doug McConnell.
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Father James Martin is a Jesuit priest and editor-at-large at America, a weekly magazine published by the Jesuits of the United States. Father Martin is widely know for his advocacy for the rights of LGBT people, including his book Building a Bridge: How the Catholic Church and the LGBT Community Can Enter into a Relationship of Respect, Compassion, and Sensitivity. In 2017, Pope Francis appointed him as a consultant to the Vatican's Secretariat for Communications. He's appeared on such outlets as CNN, NPR, and Fox News. He's also been a guest on The Colbert Report, and was informally dubbed the "Colbert Report chaplain." Recently, he was also one of three members of the clergy who jointly delivered the benediction at the close of the Democratic National Convention.
In this episode, Father Martin and I resume discussion of what it means to be pro-life, broadly defined.
LINKS
--Father Martin's Wikipedia page
--Contemplation and Political Action: An Ignatian Guide to Civic Engagement
--"Pope calls faithful to pray, participate actively in politics," Catholic News Agency
--Pope Francis's Laudato Si'
--Ignatian Contemplation (a video of Fr. Martin discussing Ignatian prayer)
Special Guest: Father James Martin.
ABOUT THIS EPISODE
Father James Martin is a Jesuit priest and editor-at-large at America, a weekly magazine published by the Jesuits of the United States. Father Martin is widely know for his advocacy for the rights of LGBT people, including his book Building a Bridge: How the Catholic Church and the LGBT Community Can Enter into a Relationship of Respect, Compassion, and Sensitivity. In 2017, Pope Francis appointed him as a consultant to the Vatican's Secretariat for Communications. He's appeared on such outlets as CNN, NPR, and Fox News. He's also been a guest on The Colbert Report, and was informally dubbed the "Colbert Report chaplain."
In this episode, Father Martin and I discuss what it means to him to be pro-life, the political implications of that position, and how it relates to Catholic teaching and action. We not only discuss abortion, but also immigration, race, and more.
LINKS
--Father Martin's Wikipedia page
--"Racism makes a liar of God: How the American Catholic Church is wrestling with the Black Lives Matter movement" (New York Times opinion piece, by Elizabeth Breunig; 2020, August 6)
--Sister Thea Bowman's Wikipedia page
--profile on Ralph McCloud, Director of the Catholic Campaign for Human Development
Special Guest: Father James Martin.
ABOUT THIS EPISODE
Princeton political scientist Omar Wasow joins me to talk about a recent paper of his that focuses on the relative impact of violent and nonviolent protest of racial injustice. In the wake of such deaths as that of Breonna Taylor and George Floyd, and in light of subsequent protests, his paper has been quite timely. It's also been met with some controversy. Wasow and I discuss his background, the paper, the implications of the paper for activists, reactions to the paper, and more. (Special thanks to my colleague Paul Schofield, who suggested one of the questions I posed in the interview.)
LINKS
--Wasow's Princeton page
--Wasow's personal web page
--"Agenda seeding: How 1960s Black protest moved elites, public opinion, and voting," by Omar Wasow
--"Racial orders in American political development," by Desmond S. King & Rogers M. Smith
--"Bayard Rustin: The gay Black pacifist at the heart of the March on Washington," by Gary Younge
Special Guest: Omar Wasow.
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As promised, here's another episode inspired by the killing of George Floyd, and the subsequent protests. In this one, I remain focused on police behavior. This is my interview with Robin Engel, Professor of Criminal Justice at the University of Cincinnati, as well as Director of the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP)/UC Center for Police Research and Policy. We discuss police decision-making--which she studies--as well as police reform. Not only has Engel studied these issues, but she's also been responsible for overseeing a department as it implemented reforms in the wake of a shooting of an unarmed Black man.
LINKS
--Robin Engel's UC profile
--Report of Engel's naming as Vice-President for Safety & Reform
--Body camera footage of the Samuel DuBose shooting (from The Guardian)
--Does de-escalation training work? (Engel et al., 2020)
--Moving beyond "best practices" (Engel et al., 2020)
Special Guest: Robin Engel.
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This is my conversation with G. Lamar Stewart, a detective and head of community engagement in the office of Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner. Stewart is a former Philadelphia police officer, and was also Vice-President of the Greater Philadelphia Chapter of the National Black Police Association. We discuss policing, including its connection to race, a timely topic in the wake of the death of George Floyd.
LINKS
--New York Times video essay on the chronology of the killing of George Floyd
--An article about the kind of community engagement work Stewart does
--Larry Krasner, Wikipedia
--Death of Breonna Taylor, Wikipedia
--Intercept article on Bob Kroll
--New York Times article on police union leadership (also touches on Kroll)
--New York Times article on the social media scandal involving Philadelphia police
Special Guest: Lamar Stewart.
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Psychologist Laurie Santos offered a course on well-being in 2018, and it became the most popular course ever offered at Yale University. Her online course also developed a strong following. Now she had a podcast called The Happiness Lab. I had a chance to talk with her about human happiness, and the ways in which our intuitions about what promotes happiness are often wrong. Our discussion includes a discussion of happiness in a time of a pandemic and of physical distancing, but also about happiness and race.
LINKS
Laurie Santos, Yale University
The Happiness Lab podcast
Jeff Simmermon's Why You Should Be Happy (on Apple Music)
Ashley Whillans, Harvard Business School
Sonja Lyubomirsky, UC-Riverside
Anand Giridharadas, Winners Take All
Dan Ariely, "Americans Want to Live in a Much More Equal Country (They Just Don't Realize It)" in The Atlantic
Scarcity: Why Having Too Little Means So Much, by Sendhil Mullainathan and Eldar Shafir
The Paradox of Choice: Why More Is Less, by Barry Schwartz
Our Declaration: A Reading of the Declaration of Independence in Defense of Equality, by Danielle Allen
The Blue Zones: Lessons for Living Longer From the People Who've Lived the Longest, by Dan Buettner
The Enchiridion, by Epictetus
Special Guest: Laurie Santos.
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Political scientists (and returning Tatter guests) Julia Azari and Seth Masket join me to talk about how the Republican Party has changed in recent years, and the meaning and consequences of those changes, including the impact on the Democratic Party and on (little-d) democratic values.
LINKS
--Julia Azari's Marquette University profile
--Seth Masket's University of Denver profile
--"The Trump presidency thrives on norms," by Julia Azari (from the Mischiefs of Faction)
--"The case for Democratic recklessness," by Seth Masket (from the Pacific Standard)
--The Bulwark podcast (hosted by Charlie Sykes)
Special Guests: Julia Azari and Seth Masket.
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Eitan Hersh is a faculty member in the Department of Political Science at Tufts University, and he's the author of the book Politics Is For Power. In his book, he discusses what he calls "political hobbyism," which the host of this podcast all too often engages in when he gets into arguments in comment threads on Facebook. In one demographic respect, Sargent's doing so is not that surprising. But in another respect, it is a bit more unusual. To learn more, listen to the episode. You'll also hear about compelling stories of people who aren't "slacktivists," who aren't mere hobbyists, but who instead engage politics in deep and meaningful ways that actually build power. You should read Hersh's book too.
LINKS
--Eitan Hersh's Tufts University web profile
--Politics Is For Power: How to Move Beyond Political Hobbyism, Take Action, and Make Real Change, by Eitan Hersh
--"How do you change voters' minds? Have a conversation" (New York Times Magazine article about deep canvassing, and Dave Fleischer)
--Changing the Conversation
--Voice of Westmoreland
--Website of U.S. Representative Conor Lamb
--"Bernie Sanders only had eyes for one wing of the Democratic Party" (the New York Times article by Thomas B. Edsall that brought Hersh to my attention)
Special Guest: Eitan Hersh.
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Concerns about Donald Trump's fitness to serve as U.S. President have motivated many people to advocate for the invocation of the 25th Amendment, particularly Section 4. Those who have engaged in such advocacy--and I've done it--seem to believe that effectively invoking Section 4 of the 25th Amendment could be a way to remove Trump from office. But my guest--Brian Kalt of the Michigan State University College of Law--makes a case that we're wrong.
LINKS
--Brian Kalt's MSU profile
--Unable: The Law, Politics, and Limits of Section 4 of the Twenty-Fifth Amendment (by Brian Kalt)
--"President Trump is unfit for this crisis. Period." (by Jennifer Senior, at The New York Times)
--"Bayh aide not surprised 25th Amendment hasn't removed a president" (by Maureen Groppe, at The Indianapolis Star)
--_Full Disclosure: A Novel _(by William Safire)
Special Guest: Brian Kalt.
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What's the impact of money on electoral politics? For instance, how does reliance on large numbers of small donors affect a candidate's appeal to voters? As more candidates recruit more financial support from large numbers of donors online, what's the impact on political parties? Does it further weaken them? I discuss such issues as these--and more, including race, gender, and campaign finance--with Marquette University political scientist Julia Azari and USC law professor Abby Wood.
LINKS
--Abby Wood's USC profile
--Julia Azari's Marquette U. profile
--"Mischiefs of Faction" political science blog
--Azari's FiveThirtyEight profile
--"Campaign Finance Disclosure" (by Abby Wood, in the Annual Review of Law and Social Science, 2018)
--"Democrats might have the stronger party. They also have a harder job." (by Julia Azari, for the Mischiefs of Faction, 2020)
--"From AOC to shining sea: Justice Democrats want to be the Left's Tea Party" (from The Economist, 2020)
Special Guests: Abby Wood and Julia Azari.
ABOUT THIS EPISODE
Dan McAdams is The Henry Wade Rogers Professor of Psychology at Northwestern University, as well as Director of the Foley Center for the Study of Lives. McAdams's areas of interest and expertise include personality and personal narrative. He's also written about the personality and narrative of Donald Trump, going back to when Trump was merely a candidate for President. Trump is now U.S. President (and will remain so, at least for the time being, since he was acquitted in a Senate impeachment trial). McAdams has written a new book about the temperament and personal narrative of Trump. With its release about a month away, I spoke to McAdams, and feature that conversation in this episode.
LINKS
--Dan McAdams's profile at Northwestern University
--Foley Center for the Study of Lives, at Northwestern
--The Strange Case of Donald J. Trump: A Psychological Reckoning (The Oxford University Press page for McAdams forthcoming book)
--"The Mind of Donald Trump" (June 2016 Atlatic essay by McAdams)
Special Guest: Dan McAdams.