There’s lots going on this week, not the least of which is the turmoil in Kazakstan – but we’re watching national events closely as well. We’ve just crossed the anniversary of the January 6th insurrection marked by a speech by President Biden.
Did Biden do anything to regain control of this national community? We’ll look at the historical parallels between how Clinton restored the potency of the presidency in 1995 in the face of a dominant republican legislature. Were there any signals of any differences between how he conducted his presidency in 2021 and the tone of how he aims to conduct his presidency in 2022?
There is also the backdrop of the voting rights legislation and this speech may have been an effort to shore up his base as this battle heats up.
If we look at 2022 we’ll also talk about the changing role of Executive Orders over time and the public’s support or resistance to them as well as of our existing Constitutional Amendments.
Finally – in our recent poll we asked the public “Should the Constitution be interpreted strictly to ensure checks and balances are maintained or loosely to expand the federal government’s role in solving problems.” 60% vs 21% sided with the strict interpretation of the law. What are the implications of this sentiment on the national conversation?
As always, thanks for your comments and for listening and we’ll see you next week for our 100th episode!
Podcast: Play in new window | Download