r/politics • u/davidmlitt • Jun 16 '20
I'm a former Obama speechwriter, and I just wrote a book about all the ways Mitch McConnell wrecked our democracy and how we fix it. Ask me anything. AMA-Finished
For five years, I wrote speeches (and also jokes) for President Obama. One time I got caught in my underwear in the coat closet of Air Force One. After leaving the White House, I was the head writer for Funny Or Die DC through the 2018 midterms, where we focused on youth turnout, and I published a memoir, Thanks, Obama, which was a New York Times bestseller. My new book is Democracy In One Book Or Less: How It Works, Why It Doesn't, and Why Fixing It Is Easier Than You Think. It covers all the ways our democracy has changed heading into 2020 - from voting rights to gerrymandering to the Senate filibuster to the Supreme Court - but it's not boring or depressing, I promise!
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Jun 16 '20
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u/davidmlitt Jun 16 '20
You raise an important point, which is that while I focus on Mitch in the book and in this AMA, he couldn't do it without his team. If Republicans in the Senate didn't want this to happen, they could stop it. My top five (this is like desert island discs of sad democracy facts):
1) Gutting our campaign finance system so that superwealthy donors have way more power than they used to.
2) Standing in the way of voter registration and voting convenience. (McConnell claimed that registering to vote at the DMV would lead to fraud. It didn't.)
3) Should be number 1 actually, moving the filibuster from a relatively occasional tool to a absolute threshold for legislation needing 60 votes to pass. And because the two-senators-per-state rule favors rural states and thus republicans, it's especially hard for dems to get to 60.
4) Court-packing. It's not just the Scalia/Merrick Garland seat that McConnell held open. He's been incredibly greedy, filling courts with judges who are either unqualified, way to the right even of their fellow conservatives, ethically sketchy, or all three. And then he talks about "flipping" courts like they're swing states.
5) Putting up with Trump, even through impeachment. Republicans could have decided to put America first, to borrow a phrase. But they didn't, and now here we are.
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u/I-Shit-The-Bed Jun 16 '20
Question about #3 the filibuster, did McConnell change the rules for the filibuster or is he just using it more frequently to prevent legislation? I know he changed the filibuster for SCOTUS justices, blaming it on a Harry Reid for changing the filibuster for regular judges.
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u/DuranStar Canada Jun 17 '20
I think he's the one that made the filibuster something you have to declare you're doing. Before you had to actually speak for the filibuster to continue. Now you just say you filibuster and it's filibustered.
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u/I-Shit-The-Bed Jun 17 '20
That could be it, good point. I’m not sure either. If what McConnell did was instead of having someone stand for 20 hours just declare they are doing that then it’s a change certainly. But I don’t think changing that would be one of the Top Anti-Democratic things McConnell has done
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u/deliciousmonster Jun 17 '20 edited Jun 17 '20
You couldn’t yield the floor, though, unless you were willing to risk the chance of losing by simple majority vote.... they had to keep talking or they had to submit to a vote. It’s not exactly like Mr Smith goes to Washington- they can take turns- but reading out of the phone book for 4 hours doesn’t work with 24 hour news channels.
Mitch made it so the threat of a filibuster had no physical component, and his 60 vote threshold ensures that they can stop any bill from getting a vote with the senators from 20 states.
They saw they were getting older, and they needed to consolidate power before retiring and passing their wealth to their heirs- the ones they really built this world for.
Besides, forcing them to talk gives their opponents political ammunition, on video.
Can’t have that.
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u/I-Shit-The-Bed Jun 18 '20
If 40 senators can stop any bill from getting a vote, then couldn’t McConnell already do that since he has like 53 senators? And can’t the Dems stop any bill with 40 of their 47 senators?
And if McConnell can stop any bill from getting a vote...then why would someone from the Dems filibuster that? Filibuster is designed to stop legislation. McConelll can say “we’re not voting on this” and it’s over. If McConnell said we are voting on this, then the Dems can filibuster the voting.
Did he change the rules or use the current rules more frequently to prevent legislation? If it’s the former than next time the Dems take the Senate they’ll change them back.
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u/Shaman_Ko Jun 17 '20
"passing their wealth to their heirs"
Is this their true motivation you think?
Also, do you think the puppet masters, like mcconnel, know that trickle down doesn't work, or climate change is real, or future economic debts he personally places on every future individual including their heirs?
If they are doing this for their heirs, it would look different I think. Some other psychology is at play here.
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u/Cornyfleur Jun 17 '20
It's been reported that he's been asking some older Republican judges to step down so he can have appointed younger, more extreme judges.
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u/JohnnyValet Jun 16 '20 edited Jun 16 '20
Pundits, aghast at the brazenness of the strategy, predicted backlash from voters—but few seemed to notice. Even some Republicans were surprised by what they were getting away with. Bill Kristol, then a GOP strategist, marveled at the success of his party’s “principled obstructionism.” An up-and-coming senator named Mitch McConnell was quoted crowing that opposing the Democrats’ agenda “gives gridlock a good name.” When the 103rd Congress adjourned in October, The Washington Post declared it “perhaps the worst Congress” in 50 years.
The Man Who Broke Politics (Newt Gingrich)- https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2018/11/newt-gingrich-says-youre-welcome/570832/
Mitch apprenticed at the foot of the man who decided to turn politics Darwinian. Just one of his class of students.
But the most important lesson comes as we wander through Monkey Junction. Gingrich tells me about one of his favorite books, Chimpanzee Politics, in which the primatologist Frans de Waal documents the complex rivalries and coalitions that govern communities of chimps. De Waal’s thesis is that human politics, in all its brutality and ugliness, is “part of an evolutionary heritage we share with our close relatives”—and Gingrich clearly agrees.
...
At a loss for what to say, I start to mutter something about the viciousness of the animal world—but Gingrich cuts me off. “It’s not viciousness,” he corrects me, his voice suddenly stern. “It’s natural.”
He was the Padawan to this man.
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u/davidmlitt Jun 16 '20
I agree - Gingrich is another super important part of this story. If he hadn't left/been ousted from Congress, I might have tried to crash a frat party at his old frat house instead of Mitch McConnell's.
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u/tapesmoker Jun 16 '20
huh? did you go to Mitch's frat or something? just curious what you meant
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u/Chirsbom Jun 16 '20
Is there any Hope for the US? Sincerly, the rest of the world.
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u/davidmlitt Jun 16 '20
Hello! And thanks everyone who's sent in questions. This is my first AMA and I'm excited to get into all this stuff.
I think this is a great place to start, because the answer is yes, there is hope for the US. But that doesn't mean it's going to be easy to fix what's wrong with the country. The question I ask myself is "Can we fix our broken democracy *using the tools* of our broken democracy." And for now, yes, we still can do that. It will take a big win in November and then some ambitious lawmaking, but we can restore our representative government.
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Jun 16 '20
This comment:
that doesn't mean it's going to be easy to fix
Book title:
fixing it is easier than you think
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u/davidmlitt Jun 16 '20
Exactly - not easy, easier than you think! (I supposed that depends on how easy you think it will be).
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u/Landicus Jun 16 '20
Tbf both can be correct. His point is that fixing it isn’t impossible at least and is actually something that is achievable
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u/Life_Guard90 Alabama Jun 16 '20
Has Mitch McConnell put up so many conservative judges to the point that democrats won't get any legislation passed? Presumably, the conservatives will take democrats to court on literally everything.
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u/davidmlitt Jun 16 '20
Loving all the Mitch McConnell questions btw - I say this in the book, there's no one I've thought about more over the past three years other than my wife and my cats.
In a very real way, the conservative movement - through its judges - now gets a veto over legislation. Sometimes (as we saw yesterday) the court's conservatives will surprise you. But mostly they won't. That said, I was surprised to learn how many ways the elected branches of government can rein in and out-of-control court if they have to. That's what Lincoln did in the Civil War - he added a 10th justice. (Who was a maniac who shot people, but that's another story.)
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u/Life_Guard90 Alabama Jun 16 '20
Well that's good to know. However, I want to challenge you a bit. House democrats have the power to use the sergeant at arms to escort people to testify in their committees. Many Trump officials said "FU I'm not testifying" and democrats did nothing about it. Democrats seem to be milktoast when it comes down to it. Can you tell me how out-of-control courts would be any different than let's say, Bill Barr not showing up for his subpoenas?
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Jun 16 '20
What kind of process would it take to add more justices?
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u/thehildabeast South Carolina Jun 16 '20 edited Jun 16 '20
Nothing the number isn't set anywhere that would take more votes to change that you could get with less than he votes to be nominated. Right now fear that if you add 1 judge the next time the other party is in charge they will add 10
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u/TheNextBattalion Jun 16 '20
Congress has the power to make the Supreme Court any size it wants--- only the existence of that court is specified by the Constitution. It would only take ordinary legislation.
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u/Hunter82i Jun 16 '20
What is/was Mitch's true motivation behind the undoing of our checks and balances?
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u/davidmlitt Jun 16 '20
If you want to understand the GOP right now, the place to start is that the policies the party cares most about: tax cuts for rich people; getting rid of Obamacare; doing nothing on climate change or gun violence or immigration; etc - are all unpopular. So if you're Mitch McConnell, the question is, how do you pass policies Americans don't want. And the answer is to push people out of the electorate, to increase the power of a few super wealthy donors, and to appoint judges who will "pass" your agenda for you.
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Jun 16 '20
you mention the superwealthy but it seems that the Democrats are getting most of the money. For instance Clinton had almost twice as much to spend as Trump and in Wall street for example millions went to Clinton but only 10000 to trump.
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u/davidmlitt Jun 16 '20
No question that Clinton raised more than Trump - but that's cause all the wealthy GOP donors thought he was going to lose. This time around Trump has raised huge huge huge amounts (they're aiming for 2B!) almost all of that from high-dollar donors. And then you add superpacs and downballot races, and generally the GOP has an edge in this kind of party-building.
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u/neurosisxeno Vermont Jun 16 '20
Additionally, Trump started raising money for his 2020 campaign in January of 2017, a very unusual move. Generally Presidents take some time to you know, do their job, and don't focus on raising money for their re-election bids. Trump essentially has a 3 year headstart on fundraising over Joe Biden.
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u/GloriousReign Jun 16 '20
and what happens if they win? Like what happens next if they succeed in completely sequestering our (formally) democratic institutions?
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u/Comprehensive-Trick8 Jun 17 '20 edited Jun 17 '20
look at what is happening in your country, now consider it about five times worse. Then look at countries that have gone through this, and how their people live.
I believe by the end of this, the majority of the US will be Venezuelan slums, and the rest 5-star resorts for rich people, and nothing in between. the US will exist solely for the purpose of disposability by a small ruling class of unimaginably wealthy people, so totally cut off from the rest of you that they won't care if you die, just how to keep you consuming out of fear. Everyone will be under some control of some kind of terrorism, be it from police forces, extremists, or something in the middle.
try to imagine right now how it feels in the US now that you know cops have immunity and answer to no one so you have nobody to call when in trouble, but for everything. There will no longer be accountability, your food will have chemicals, hormones, and metals in it because the FDA will be defunded. produce/meat that isn't pre-packaged in factories will be more dangerous to consume with less regulations. Expect pollution to skyrocket.
the US will become, essentially like how Russia is now: lawless, with a dead culture, controlled by an oligarch, terrorized by extremist groups that the cops don't bother with, total and utter corruption, and people will have to fend for themselves or move. Hypernormalization is a good documentary about this.
good luck, may god have mercy on your souls.
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u/GloriousReign Jun 17 '20
Ok but that doesn’t appear to be much different than what’s already here. US is already inhabited by wealthy people who don’t care if I die, and are already keeping people consuming out of fear. Likewise people are already fending for themselves (many still haven’t received any coronavirus relief whatsoever) and those who can afford to move and want to usually do.
This may sound crazy but I don’t think any government is that powerful. Like don’t get me wrong, the US government is powerful, but I don’t think it’s powerful enough to kill culture even if it does play a major hand in shaping it.
And seeing as I’m aware of all this, it stands to reason that there’s an equal opportunity that circumstances improve.
Saving what is beyond fixing might end being the worse option. It’s debatable where on the timeline we are in relation to everything else purely because it can always get worse.
My next sentence may also be silly. The idea of Democracy doesn’t die with its former institutions. Similar to how fascism didn’t die with the death of its most formal institutions during the height of world war 2.
What I want to know is what happens next. Near future, looking grim, no doubt about that. But beyond that I haven’t a clue.
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u/Comprehensive-Trick8 Jun 17 '20
Ok but that doesn’t appear to be much different than what’s already here.
now you're getting it.
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u/ScienceBreathingDrgn Michigan Jun 16 '20
You're completely ignoring the spiderweb of conservative groups that are politically adjacent -- think tanks and the likes.
Check out Dark Money by Jane Mayer for more specifics.
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u/PresidentSpanky Colorado Jun 16 '20
Best book in my opinion to understand how the US got here and to be depressed
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u/ScienceBreathingDrgn Michigan Jun 16 '20
I completely agree.
I'm listening to The End of Policing right now and it's equally problematic. It's been a really good listen so far.
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u/kalkula California Jun 16 '20
in Wall street for example millions went to Clinton but only 10000 to trump.
This is certainly not true. It was not true in 2016 and it’s still not true. source.
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u/Dach2k3 Florida Jun 16 '20
I think that Republicans focus on single issue voters. None of those unpopular things matter if I get to keep my guns or if I get my way on abortion or if we put black people in prison or if we keep out immigrants or if we cut taxes.
I have socially liberal people at my job that just do not want to pay anymore taxes. They will not vote for any candidate that wants to raise taxes. No matter what.
When you cobble together enough of those voters you get Trump.
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u/mikerichh Jun 17 '20
People are scared of hearing tax. I feel like we need another way of wording it because some plans like bernie’s mean we pay less but get a tax increase. But the point is we save money elsewhere and pay less monthly or annually. I feel people get so stuck on the tax aspect
My mom falls under the abortion category. The religious types feel voting dem means voting for abortion and that’s a non negotiable in their minds
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u/flat5 Jun 17 '20
It just kind of boggles my mind that someone could get motivated every day to fight tooth and nail for tax cuts for rich people. I just don't quite understand how that's possible.
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u/jissebug Jun 17 '20
If you are one of those rich people it makes a lot more sense.
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u/flat5 Jun 17 '20
How do you know I'm not? Honestly, it seems *far, far easier* to invest your time in simply earning more, if you are already a high earner, than it would to invest in decades-long schemes to reduce tax rates.
As a matter of increasing one's own wealth, it doesn't add up.
There's something more to it than simply getting richer. It's some kind of deep seated emotional thing.
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u/BigRedTez Jun 16 '20
Not only pass but codify and make it incredibly difficult to change in the process
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u/Patpods Jun 16 '20
Do you think that the November elections stand a chance of removing Donald Trump? Are there any actions that we can take to safeguard our elections process before November 3rd?
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u/davidmlitt Jun 16 '20
I think Trump is more likely to lose than win, but that's largely up to us. Here's one important way to safeguard the elections that isn't getting enough attention.
Because of COVID, a lot of states are allowing mail ballots to count if they're *postmarked* by election day rather than *received* by election day. That's a good idea - it helps more people vote - but it means that lots of votes won't be counted on Tuesday night. And if Trump is ahead Tuesday night, he's going to try to claim that all these other votes are fraudulent even though they aren't. So we all need to make sure that as many people as possible knows that many states aren't going to have a clear winner on election night - get that information out there before Trump can falsely claim fraud.
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u/SkippyIsTheName Jun 17 '20
I also wouldn’t fuck around with mailing in your ballot. I mailed in my primary ballot the day I got it. And I’m not sure how it works in other states, but PA sent me an email confirming my ballot was received and accepted.
In theory, if they told me it was rejected for some reason, I would still have time to ask for another ballot or possibly vote in person. There’s not much you can do if they reject your mail-in ballot on November 4th.
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u/I-Shit-The-Bed Jun 16 '20
What if Biden is ahead on election night, would there still be an issue counting the extra votes and getting the message out that’s it’s not over?
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u/HordeOfTheDance Jun 17 '20
Uninformed opinion (and obviously not OP) but if Biden is ahead on election night, but there are significant numbers of votes left to be counted, he is likely to very cautiously claim victory.
Saying something like "It looks like a very good outcome, but all the votes must be counted" will be enough to 'reserve his place' as the likely winner, but he'll have enough respect for democracy to let the process happen as it should.
Who knows how that plays out though, because Trump could easily just claim victory no matter what. If he's ahead on the night, he'll say that's it, it's decided. If he's behind, that's just proof that the vote is rigged.
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u/michaelbloomfield Jun 16 '20
What are some of the major changes that have impacted our democracy over the past 100 years?
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u/davidmlitt Jun 16 '20
I'll point to two huge changes - one very good, and one more recent and very bad. The good one is that 100 years ago women were just winning the right to vote, and Black people were denied the right to vote in the segregated south (and often elsewhere). As a country, we now agree that every adult should be allowed to vote. The bad change, which has happened since the 1970s, is that corporate power has gotten much more organized. The Chamber of Commerce was barely a thing in 1973 - a decade later it was massively powerful. Back when Mitch McConnell first ran for Senate unions frequently spent more than corporations on politics. Now it's not even close - business is so much more powerful.
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u/profnachos Jun 16 '20
A great book on this topic is Invisible Hands: The Businessmen's Crusade Against the New Deal
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u/2k2k2020 Jun 16 '20
I always feel like Republicans are better at long term strategy. Mitch I think was quoted as saying how short people's memories are. The contrast between the obstructionist republican response in 2008 to the 'let the stimulus printer go brrrr and who cares about the debt' being a recent example.
Mitch said obstructing Obama's supreme court pick and the recent stacking of the courts are good examples of this.
Do you agree with this?
How can Democrats learn and adapt some republican strategies here around playing the long game?
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u/davidmlitt Jun 16 '20
Another Mitch McConnell question. Yes!! Keep 'em coming. I think Democrats need to do two things very differently: 1) focus on downballot races, not just the president and 2) build the institutions that last longer than one administration or one political career. Conservatives did a really good job of that starting in the 60s and 70s - think thanks; legal foundations; media organizations. Democrats can catch up, but we're still behind.
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u/vinegarfingers Jun 16 '20
I’m not as informed as many other people in here, but my understanding is that think tanks (and the like) typically require lots of capital (Koch Bro’s) to start and maintain. Given that the corporate interests (which usually fund these tanks) typically lie within the realm of Conservatism, doesn’t that put left-leaning think tanks at a large disadvantage from a funding standpoint?
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Jun 16 '20
If Mitch McConnell is voted out of Majority Leader position and a lot of these bills that he leaves stacked on his desk remain, would the new Maj.Leader be able to look at them and have them voted on?
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u/davidmlitt Jun 16 '20
This is a really important question, thank you for asking it! The way Congress works is that every two years there's a kind of biblical flood and the whole legislative calendar resets. So in 2021, the House could pass a clone of a bill that passed in 2020, and that bill would go to the Senate. But the Senate couldn't vote on anything that hasn't passed *in the current session of congress*. That's one reason so many bills die.
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u/roastedtoperfection Jun 16 '20
I love that your work focuses just as much on how we could fix the problems that we have today as it does defining what those problems are. Just a few questions that I would like to get your take on:
Who do you think has a better shot at removing McConnell, Booker or McGrath?
What can we do to stop the voter suppression that we're witnessing in Georgia and in other mostly Southern states?
Do you think the recent actions by the House Democrats to address the booting of people off the voter roles will be effective, if not what more can Congressional Democrats do to address this problem?
What states should Democrats focus on? Could Texas turn blue this election cycle?
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u/davidmlitt Jun 16 '20
I'm going to pick just one of these for now: voter purges. I was stunned by how many voters are purged from the rolls these days - between 2014 and 2016, 16 million Americans. More than 2 million were probably eligible. One of the most important things we can do is just call attention to this issue - because we need people to double-check their registrations. And "registration drives" are sometimes going to become "re-registration" drives to get people back on the rolls.
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u/m0i0k0e0 Jun 16 '20
Is there any prosecutable criminal wrong doing?
How can this be prevented in the future?
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u/davidmlitt Jun 16 '20
I'm not a lawyer, but I'll say this: when I was at the White House, I literally couldn't accept a hardcover book as a gift because it violated the 25 dollar limit on gifts. (My book is less than that right now though don't worry.) I'm going to go ahead and guess that the Trump administration has not been so careful about ethics, and we need to figure out what the hell has been going on.
At the same time, to prevent this from happening in the future, we need to fix our democracy quickly and aggressively: automatic voter registration; public financing for campaigns; DC statehood; end the legislative filibuster. All these things would make it far more difficult to govern America without the support of a majority of Americans, which is what Trump has done.
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Jun 16 '20
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u/davidmlitt Jun 16 '20
I'm so sorry. I don't have any easy answer, but I will say that a useful question in moments like this is, "What information would change your mind?" I always try to ask myself that when I develop a firm opinion that I worry doesn't have enough sense behind it. That creates a permission structure where someone is offering ideas for what might convince them, rather than arguing.
I'd also recommend really asking questions. On the '08 campaign, I talked to a lot of voters who believed Obama was a Muslim. a) that's obviously not a bad thing but b) they weren't really saying he believed in Islam. When you asked them what they meant, it almost always got to this idea that they were worried he would try to seek revenge against white people for all the injustices done to Black people. Which was also wrong, obviously, but at least then we knew what we were talking about. People say one thing but they don't always mean that thing.
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u/tinawilson90210 Jun 16 '20
What can we do to ensure that Trump doesn’t get re-elected? Voting is definitely one. But have any other suggestions?
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u/davidmlitt Jun 16 '20
I started my career in politics as an organizer. Physical door knocking isn't a thing right now, but there's tons of online organizing taking place. Also Facebook is the worst, but I don't believe in deleting your account - use your account (and also on here fwiw) to fight misinformation. (And then regulate Facebook. Geez.)
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u/TheJerin Jun 17 '20
Yes! As someone with a painful level of understanding of how Facebook makes money, please please please we need to regulate the shit out of it (and other digital advertising platforms)
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Jun 16 '20 edited Jun 17 '20
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u/davidmlitt Jun 16 '20
I think a Biden presidency will much more progressive than the Obama presidency. That's not a knock on Obama - I just think public opinion has shift over the last four years and there are more opportunities to go further. And Biden's plans are almost all focused on building on what Obama did, not just returning to where we were in 2016.
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u/sinistrux Jun 16 '20
Which do you think is more likely:
Putin has something on Mitch, like missing documents from his military discharge.
Or, McConnell's just trying to destroy America as payback for making him look like an ass for backing Bork?
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u/davidmlitt Jun 16 '20
Yes, back to Mitch McConnell! I love this. I actually think neither is particularly likely. I think it's more likely that Mitch McConnell has spent his whole life doing everything he can to become Senate Majority Leader and that's what he cares about more than anything in the world - the ends have always justified the means for him, I think. The problem with that is that in a real democracy you don't get to win every time - so if you want to win every time, the only way to do it is to destroy democracy.
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Jun 16 '20
In all seriousness. Do you think if the democrats get into office in 2020 they would undo some of the damage?
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u/Lying_Motherfucker Jun 16 '20
Could executive orders or judge appointments be recalled?
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u/davidmlitt Jun 16 '20
Executive orders can be undone. (Trump undid many of Obama's.) Judges can only be "fired" by impeachment, and because that requires 2/3 of the Senate it's not going to happen. The better tools for reining in judges would be expanding the courts on which they serve and diluting their impact. I think we should do that in many cases, but we have to do it in a fair way and not just try to out-Mitch McConnell Mitch McConnell.
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u/aggroidiots Jun 16 '20
This is why Dems get crushed on most everything of import. Stand on morals and historic norms. GOP just shits on all that with the "Just win baby" attitude
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u/I-Shit-The-Bed Jun 16 '20
Packing the Supreme Court wouldn’t be a historic norm. And if Dems expand it to 15 then Republicans will expand it to 24 or something and every time a party is in charge that doesn’t have the SC then they’ll just change it to get the balance they prefer.
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u/TheTrueMilo New York Jun 17 '20
If Mitch McConnell were to kidnap Obama’s wife and children and hold them hostage in the Senate chamber, Obama’s response would be like, “well, can’t go in there unless they pass a resolution inviting me in.”
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u/TheNextBattalion Jun 16 '20
There is a massive backlog of federal cases anyways, so we should be adding judges.
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u/davidmlitt Jun 16 '20
I do. But a lot of it will depend on the willingness to end the legislative filibuster. I went into writing Democracy In One Book Or Less thinking that we should reform the filibuster. Now I think we need to get rid of it - if Dems have the House/Senate/White House, they still won't be able to get most things done if the filibuster is in place.
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u/shawnkfox Jun 16 '20
There is no doubt the filibuster has got to go. It still takes control of the House, Senate, and presidency to pass a bill. That ought to be enough. It is harder to pass federal laws in the US than it is in any other democracy.
With the filibuster rule a party realistically has to get well above 60 votes in the Senate to pass major legislation since there will always be a handful of Senators who are from states where many people work in industries which will be harmed by any given bill. Good luck getting any Senator who comes from a state with major health insurance companies located there to vote for single payer healthcare, for example.
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u/timetravelwasreal Jun 16 '20
How do you convince people to look out for their own self interests and to think critically, without sounding arrogant to them? How have politics informed your view of comedy, and vice versa?
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u/davidmlitt Jun 16 '20
I think you have to start by listening. People's arguments don't always make sense, but their feelings are almost always valid.
In a strange way that's also how comedy's informed my view of politics. The great ones always have a really good sense of audience. President Obama was like that when he told jokes - he could feel the energy in the room - and the same skill made him a powerful speaker in far more serious speeches.
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u/TheNextBattalion Jun 16 '20
Everyone does look out for their own self-interests. If it doesn't seem that way to you, it's because you're mistaken about what they're truly interested in.
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Jun 16 '20
Hi! This is awesome, thanks for doing it.
Do you think that the current deadlock between the houses of Congress would still be an issue if the 17th amendment hadn’t been passed and senators were still elected by state legislatures? Or has direct election of senators benefited the general public?
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u/davidmlitt Jun 16 '20
I'm glad you're enjoying it. I certainly am! It's like being on a game show but I have no idea if I'm winning.
I think direct election of senators has definitely benefited the general public. Think about how gerrymandered state legislatures are in places like Ohio, Michigan, Wisconsin, and North Carolina - people there wouldn't get a say in who represents them in the Senate, even indirectly. I think it's possible that there would be less gridlock sometimes, but that would be because Congress would be acting more decisively against the public interest.
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Jun 16 '20
Thanks for replying!
Do you think that the current system of two senators per state is reasonable, given the population disparity between states? 213k people voted for Mitch McConnell in 2014, and he has had the power to kill bills and deny Supreme Court appointments. Is there a better way to ensure "one person, one vote?"
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u/I-Shit-The-Bed Jun 16 '20 edited Jun 16 '20
Not OP, but very interested in this topic. It would take 38 states to agree to move to popular vote and that isn’t happening because small states (whoever has the lowest populations) will reject it.
I think if Dems want to win the senate they have to either split up states like California, appeal to voters in rural states, and encourage fellow Dems to move to rural states (wouldn’t take that many.) Way easier than convincing 38 states.
There’s benefits for both types of states. Politically, bigger states get more people on the House, smaller states get greater representation and more power to their vote.
Non-politically, something like 90% of Americans live within an hour of a coastline or lake. That’s where people want to be, and not for political reasons.
Those states will attract more people than flyover states, but because their state is near water. Or has a good climate (Invention of AC making people move south and climate change making them move north). Anyone can move to any state they want, if voting power is more important than being near a beach then people will make that choice.
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u/Leroin Jun 16 '20
What is your favourite memory with one (or more) of the Pod Save America guys?
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u/davidmlitt Jun 16 '20
This is corny, but the first (and only) time I sent a draft of a speech to Favs and he had no edits, I literally printed out the email.
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u/Leroin Jun 16 '20
Ahh, that's actually really sweet. For some reason I just assumed it would be Lovett saying/doing something inappropriate, haha.
I've just added the book to my Audible, looking forward to giving it a listen! 👍
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u/Letterchrome Pennsylvania Jun 16 '20
Was Obama as cool of a person as he seems in videos and photos?
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u/oscarbait816 Jun 16 '20
What do you think of the Oxford comma?
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u/davidmlitt Jun 16 '20
I never remember which comma is Harvard and which is Oxford. (I went to Yale - salt of the earth.) But I think leaving out a comma before a conjunction is bad - it's so much less clear!
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Jun 16 '20
Asking the real, deep, incisive question!
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u/oscarbait816 Jun 16 '20
When I wrote the question his post did not look nearly as authentic. It has been edited a lot since then.
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u/mentosfruitgun Jun 16 '20
Do you believe that President George Washington quote on political parties has a resounding truth? Why or Why not?
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u/davidmlitt Jun 16 '20
I think Washington was right about the dangers of political parties. (Take a look at what he said about politicians putting party first and ignoring election interference from foreign governments - it's almost creepy.) But the way the Constitution was structure meant parties developed almost immediately, and I don't see that changing.
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u/mentosfruitgun Jun 16 '20
Neither do I. A system divided will never have the full country's interest. Thank you for responding.
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u/Tashiya North Carolina Jun 16 '20
What’s your cat’s name? I too have a sweet orange tabby boy
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u/A_Sarcastic_Werecat Europe Jun 16 '20
This redditor is asking the correct questions. Adding to that - is your cat always that sweet and cute?
On a serious note - what do you think of the term "fake news"?
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u/davidmlitt Jun 16 '20
I feel bad that I haven't answer enough cat questions. Maisie (the one in the photo) is almost always sweet and cute. Harry (not pictured) is a monster, but also incredibly cute, so it's hard to get mad at him. He's just pretty sure he owns the place.
Now, fake news. I think it's a lesson about the value of repeating a message. Remember, "fake news" was originally what the media called Russian propaganda. Then Trump grabbed it, turned it around, and didn't care that he sounded ridiculous when he said it, and he completely changed its meaning. Sometimes having just one message you say often is better than having lots of messages you rotate.
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u/A_Sarcastic_Werecat Europe Jun 16 '20
Thank you for your answers! Please cuddle Maisie and Harry from us redditors!
I think it's a lesson about the value of repeating a message.
What advice would you, as a speechwriter, give to a presidential candidate, a senator, or anyone in a certain political position, regardless of party affiliation, to change Trump's message of "fake news", aka "the media lies and is the enemy of the people"? Do you think the "distrust" in the media can be easily changed?
"Fake news" is a simple slogan, two words only, and quite powerful - I 've started to think that there is no easy "counter-cure", but I value your opinion about this, if you'd like to share.Otherwise, thank you very much for this AMA; I hope that you have enjoyed this AMA as well and have a nice day!
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u/davidmlitt Jun 16 '20
I have two cats, and they are both authoritarians. The one in the proof photo is Maisie, and then Harry is her brother.
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u/berg_theory Jun 16 '20
Bidens ' nomalarkey' or whatever slogan is TERRIBLE, could you please suggest something better
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u/davidmlitt Jun 16 '20
"Something Better" would actually be a good political slogan for this moment. Or just "Better."
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u/nbuff5210 Jun 16 '20
What is your over/under on purged mail in votes in November for predominately democratic counties?
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u/davidmlitt Jun 16 '20
I'm not sure I have a clear idea yet. I think it's going to vary a lot by state. Some states are really well run (a hero of my book is Michigan State Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson) and some states' elections are a mess (Georgia, for example). The most important thing will be to have a lot of people keeping an eye on our election process and making sure they're fair - it's a lot harder to get away with stuff if people are watching.
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u/I-Shit-The-Bed Jun 16 '20
Do you think the person in charge of state elections should be voted in or appointed by the Governor? In Florida, my state, the Governor picks the Secretary of State so it’s always the same party. How did Georgia go so wrong by deciding to elect that person?
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Jun 16 '20 edited Jul 14 '20
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/davidmlitt Jun 16 '20
Didnt' watch the clip because I'm typing furiously but no - I left the WH in early 2016 and if I remember correctly he came by that spring.
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Jun 16 '20
Whats the dirtiest joke you got?
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u/davidmlitt Jun 16 '20
I don't have a good dirty joke repertoire, but there was one time we pitched President Obama a joke that ended, "Let's just say dreams aren't the only thing I got from my father." We didn't use it obviously but he thought it was hilarious.
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u/davidmlitt Jun 16 '20
Thank you all so much for the questions - including the really good ones I have to jump off before answering! If you enjoyed this and found it interesting, I hope you check out my book Democracy In One Book Or Less (and the website is davidlittbooks.com). My wife thinks it's better than my first book and she's brutally honest so I believe her.
Thanks everyone!!
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u/chaosofstarlesssleep Jun 16 '20
What's the deal with Mitch McConnell? I'm not super political. I remember back when John Stewart had the Daily Show, talking about how wily he is. I honestly kind of picture him as Palpatine, and don't even understand why. What motivates him? I get Trump. He's a megalomanic. Bernie makes sense and I understand he was influenced by some socialist from a few decades back. McConnell is a cypher to me. Not only do I not understand what he is doing, but his motives don't seem to make any sense.
I've asked about this before on reddit and the only answer I got was someone speculating that his wife was the real brains behind whatever is up with him.
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u/URAPNS Jun 17 '20
I'm by no means a political scholar but I can some up McConnells motivation in one character: $
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u/dirkalict Illinois Jun 16 '20
Will Lindsay Graham feel more inclined to come out of the closet now that the Supreme Court has ruled that he can’t be fired for his “alternative lifestyle”?
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Jun 16 '20
What is your take on the new generation of progressive youth seeking to with through the Democratic Primaries? E.g. AOC and other Democratic Socialists of America endorsed candidates.
Do you feel this new left-wing electoral push has the capacity to greatly influence the policy direction of the Democratic Party?
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u/Left-Twix420 Jun 16 '20
Should there be some sort of independent commission that has to approve candidates for elections? For example candidates with anti-voting views, history of corruption, extremist views, lack of qualifications, etc cannot be allowed to run in a democratic system.
While I do believe that the point of democracy is to give the people access to power, candidates that want to take away democracy should not be allowed to participate. Should this be the way going forward after Trump and Mitch?
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u/Bendass_Fartdriller Jun 16 '20
Americone Dream, best ice cream flavor ever, and why?
What are we doing currently about term limits and age limits for Senators?
When will Puerto Rico, Guam and Island territory’(s) get statehood?
With the disenfranchisement and power of the boomers being able to over-vote any progress, do you see more Hope in the future generations being able to undo the damage and one day own houses?
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u/Papazigzags Kentucky Jun 16 '20
Do you have a opinion on the better candidate to rid us of McConnell?
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u/caymancider71301 Jun 16 '20
LIPS!!!...nice to meet you! I just listened to you on npr last Saturday and will be ordering both of your books. You had my laughing my ass off. No questions at all.
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u/mutemutiny Jun 17 '20
What do you think is the reason for the GOP just rolling over and letting Trump run amok on them, even when it's probably to their detriment? I mean you can use anyone as an example, whether it's Mitch or Graham, but prior to winning in '16, they were all pretty unanimous in speaking out against him, and now not only do they speak in favor of him, I'd say they're enabling him to erode our democracy and continue committing crimes without any fear of impeachment, or of ANY reprisal. Why are they letting him do this? I could understand if this was someone like Ronald Reagan, who they all just love, but I know they don't love Trump, so what is it? What's keeping them all in line? My answer is Putin has dirt on all of them, so they have to fall in line, but I'm curious what your answer is.
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u/tsuru Jun 16 '20
"The one thing Republicans and Democrats will always agree on is to not let a third party gain prominence." -- paraphrasing a relative
Wouldn't ending this party dichotomy be a great step to fixing our democracy; our republic? How could we do it without instant runoff voting?
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u/Lying_Motherfucker Jun 16 '20
Backpacking off this.
Voting third party splits the vote and gives favor to the opposition. Its impossible really to deviate from 2 parties in our current famework. Will it ever be possible to reform the electoral process to favor multiple parties, or ranked voting?
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u/nochinzilch Jun 16 '20
We can amend the constitution to eliminate the electoral college. Then we need to eliminate "first past the post" elections (the candidate with the most votes wins, even if it is far less than a majority. Use ranked choice or run-off elections to determine a true majority winner.
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Jun 16 '20
I have never been more upset than when the EPA regulations were reversed, we need to expand them, not retract. Don't destroy my planet please. Is there anything we can do about the recent EPA regulations?
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u/saladasarock Jun 16 '20
Can we please get Val Demings on Biden's shortlist? An honest-to-God Law And Order VP that's a strong, powerful and beautiful black woman would make Trump supporter's head explode.
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u/tall__guy Colorado Jun 16 '20
Did your time overlap with the Pod Save America gang at all? Or I guess a different question, do you remain close with anyone you worked with in the administration?
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u/levishand Jun 16 '20
I second this question because I need to know if Pundit is actually an angel.
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u/BHOmber Jun 16 '20
What are your thoughts on the oval office's influence over fed monetary/fiscal policy?
We have a POTUS that has flamed the fed chair on twitter for not decreasing rates at pre-covid market highs.
A single tweet from the person in charge can significantly move the US financial markets if the timing is correct.
I feel like this is extremely dangerous going forward and we need to do something about it.
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u/nochinzilch Jun 16 '20
Do you know, or can you speculate as to, why President Obama didn't fight harder for his Supreme Court nominee?
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u/Kioskwar Jun 16 '20
If a senator from a state with 4.468 million people can control the agenda of a nation’s government which represents 328.2 million people, are we a democracy in name only? Follow up, how much foreign money does Mitch McConnell receive? Final question, is it possible for a sitting US senator to have no fidelity to these United States?
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u/Bing_Bong_the_Archer Jun 16 '20
Hey I read your book. It was pretty good. It made me realize I was never going to get to be a political speechwriter, so thanks, I guess..
Hmm a question...umm...okay, how likely do you think it is that this current administration ends modern America as we know it and turns the country into a dictatorship?
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u/Tidus790 Jun 16 '20
In your opinion, how close has the United States been pushed towards autocracy/authoritarianism?
How much of that is the result of the current administration?
Is there any way back?
Has there been any recent events that stand out and give you hope for the future?
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u/rahnster_wright Jun 16 '20
I don't have a question, but I just heard you on the radio and you are hilarious, Lips.
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u/ridemooses Wisconsin Jun 16 '20
Do you foresee Citizens United being overturned in the next 10-15 years? Or ever?
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Jun 17 '20
What was the rationale behind Obama holding off on his supreme court pick?
The narrative I hear is that big tough Mitch McConnell said no and Obama let him have his way as a gesture of unity and goodwill.
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u/jasraffe Jun 16 '20
Setting aside optimism, if trump does get another term (or simply refuses to leave), what one piece of advice would you give to those facing an increasingly undemocratic future, besides move to Canada?
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u/Foxy-Cat Jun 17 '20
Congradulations for your book. I hope many of your citizens will read it for the good of your country and your neighbors Québec and Canada. You have a good friend on your shoulders. A+
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u/germano_nh Jun 16 '20
I do not believe we can fix our Democracy as long as Mitch McConnell is in office. Whatever we do to rebuild, it needs to start with stopping McConnell it it’s all for nothing.
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u/PM_ME_UR_BIKES Jun 16 '20
How do you gauge whether a speech was effective or not? Have you ever written a speech that BO just straight up rejected? How much does BO usually annotate your manuscripts?
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u/muscravageur Jun 16 '20
From the headline, it doesn’t sound like you’re giving enough credit for all the Republican Congressmen who also have turned their back on America.
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u/ajmsaw804 Canada Jun 17 '20
This might be a stupid question, but how were things allowed to progress to this level? How come there were no accountability checks for actions that might be considered anti-democratic?
I mean the anti-democratic moves didn’t just happen overnight. We had McConnell in 2010 literally say that his objective was to make Obama a one term president, which is incredibly partisan and anti-democratic (its the people who decide whether a president serves one or two terms). Then you have the government shutdown which had widespread disapproval because of the disruption it caused to state functions. And that’s two of so many other actions taken by Republicans to stifle the Obama presidency.
It’s one thing to express disapproval of policies and propose alternatives, which is democratic, versus stifling the institutions ability to implement necessary changes (such as bailouts for companies in 2009 which I remember Republicans being opposed to while having no alternatives), which I’d at least consider not democratic.
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u/Baylorbears2011 Jun 16 '20
EVERY way Mitch McConnell wrecker our democracy? How do you expect us to buy and read a book that no doubt is 47,000 pages long?
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Jun 17 '20
Do you believe, like myself, that Mitch McConnell is the greatest traitor the people of the United States of America ?
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u/wklepacki Jun 16 '20 edited Jun 16 '20
Why didn’t you ever ask Obama to follow through with the stuff you wrote for his speeches? His speeches were brilliant, but he clearly didn’t seem to think his words were as important as his actions. It seems easy to blame everything on the republicans, but the whole system is broken and it doesn’t seem like democratic leadership really cares either. For example, look at the coronavirus response - nearly $5t in leveragable capital for business and absolute crumbs for (some, not all) people and pelosi and the dems (as well as McConnell and the republicans) are nowhere to be found. It seems the dems get a pass for their disastrous economic policies because they’re slightly less monstrous when it comes to more socially tolerant policies, even though they won’t fight for those either (see DACA, inter alia)
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u/AnotherDamnGlobeHead Jun 16 '20
We have all seen the photo of McConnell smiling and glad handing in front of a confederate flag.
In one of your responses, you mentioned he used to be pro-civil rights.
My question is two-fold.
At what point do you believe he became a white supremacist?
Did the Obama administration ever privately talk about the white supremacy issue in the republican party? Did you guys understand that to be the cause of all the obstruction, or was it easier to just get your work done and though the day by everybody pretending it was just political disagreements between two parties?
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u/Restored2019 Jun 17 '20
I agree with your concerns about the damage being done by the likes of Moscow Mitch. However, he a minor part of the problem.
If you are really who you say that you are, then consider researching and writing about this:
RACISM, HATE AND WHY IT IS AN AMERICA PROBLEM. People that I’m friends with are concerned about and highly motivated into seeing social justice and an end to discrimination and police violence. They are also determined to make all of society better for everyone. We can easily see that there are dozens if not hundreds of various examples where people are wronged. From discrimination in education, employment, etc., to idiots calling cops over normal human activity like having a picnic in the park, setting in a restaurant or being murdered by vigilantes. The centuries old question is: Why is this still happening and what can we do to fix it? Black Lives Matter protests over the murder of George Floyd, et al, is a great start. It is, however, destined to failure if WE all fail to recognize that the root cause of the insanity is much larger than just racism. As bad as racism is, the real failure in society is that we have ignored FASCISM. That word totally describes every aspect and incident of hate, violence and the many other insane man made conditions of humanity. Why use/blame fascism? It succinctly describes ALL the terrible man made problems in a society. I think that people have been conditioned to ignore using the word fascist with terrible consequences. The very people that it describes are the ones that seek to depress its use. Why? Because, with minor exceptions, they are cowards that live lives of deceit and adopt deceitful tactics to carry out their evil agendas. Yes, there are lot’s and lot’s of examples of fascists using violence. In fact, that is the actual fingerprint of fascism. It may seem counterintuitive for a group of people that, at their core, are cowards — to be on the front lines of violent actions. The answer to that riddle is explained by their very core characteristic. That — being a coward. You see, those amongst us that portray cowardly characteristics are wrought to coverup their low self esteem with an outwardly appearance of bravery and self confidence. Examples are expansive but one clear bit of history is the example presented by the coward Adolf Hitler. Using overwhelming force (Armies of fanatical followers, bombs, planes and terror) he killed millions. But when those armies failed him, he showed his true colors by committing suicide in his bunker.
The polar opposite to those opposed to liberalism, Marxism, and anarchism, fascism is placed on the far-right within the traditional left–right spectrum. Fascism (/ˈfæʃɪzəm/) is a form of far-right, authoritarian ultranationalism characterized by dictatorial power, forcible suppression of opposition, as well as strong regimentation of society and of the economy which came to prominence in early 20th-century Europe. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fascism
Example: Germany, leading up to WW2
The Weimar years saw large-scale right-wing militarist and paramilitary mass organizations such as Der Stahlhelm as well as illegal underground militias such as the Freikorps and the Black Reichswehr. Formed as early as 1920, out of the latter two soon rose the Sturmabteilung (SA), the paramilitary branch of the Nazi party (sounds a lot like the paramilitaries that have sprung up across the U.S. since WW2 and especially during the last decade or so).
Fascism/Rightwing/Republican Party, they are all, one and the same. The facts are incontrovertible.
Today in the USA, there are a list of socially unacceptable crises that all have strong roots in fascism. There is the racist treatment of minorities (Blacks, Asians, Latinos). Police brutally and cold blooded murder with effective impunity. Discrimination against women, including unequal pay and promotion. The denial of healthcare and forced intrusion by government into their most personal bodily functions. An economic crises and an avoidable pandemic that’s getting worse instead of better, that is the direct results of the fascist in our society. It’s not just a group of fake patriots with guns. But the fascist next door or the fascist pretending to be a spokesperson for god at Sunday services. They are the operator of the grocery store and the cop on the street. They are the minimum wage worker, the school teacher and the CEO of large corporations. BUT, they are a terrible but minority part of the population of these United States!
The solution is to first recognize the enemy (and they are an enemy to social justice and all of humanity). Secondly, don’t pass up an opportunity to recognize them whenever and wherever they show their ugliness. Don’t allow them to confuse and recruit unsuspecting people into their ranks. Life has taught me (contrary to early beliefs) that good people can be brainwashed into believing lies and committing horrendous crimes against innocent people, regardless of their race, religion or ethnicity.
The women’s march immediately after the 2017 inauguration, gave me hope of an American awakening to the dangers of fascism. It failed in the initial attempt but now with the BLACK LIVES MATTER movement, there’s signs of a powerfully new and productive time of change against evil. The danger is that people may not recognize the root cause — fascism. Over time it doesn’t discriminate between red, white, black or green when it decides to commit crimes against humanity. Read history!
P.S. The word antifa (anti fascist) has been bouncing around a lot since the Charlottesville, Va. Protest marches a couple years ago. It’s again being used by Rightwing antagonist as a means to distract and confuse people about the present day protests. They characterize “antifa” as an organized group of anarchists hell bent on setting fires and violence. There is as of today 6/14/2020 no reliable evidence of that being so. It is irrational and would be counterproductive to the core reason for such a group to exist. The available evidence that exist, suggest that combined with a minority of opportunistic thieves and vandals, there were Rightwing agitators breaking windows, setting fires, and supplying objects to be used to attack police. Everyone that isn’t part of the Rightwing fascist movement, is by definition, anti fascist.
Jon Stewart is on to something here, but. https://www.thedailybeast.com/jon-stewart-fixing-the-police-wont-fix-americas-systemic-racism?ref=scroll The cure to racism is not attacking racism. Racism is a symptom of something far more insidious and vile. That thing is FASCISM! It is the root cause of 90% of all man made human misery. It is presently running rampant because their greatest achievement has been their ability to lie, commit crimes and point over there. Society has accepted their dog whistles and bent over backwards to look the other way. That has led to fascist controlling major aspects of government and civil society. Just look at the White House occupant if you still need proof.
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u/Alistair_du_fancy Jun 17 '20
Why you asking this dude to write a book about this when you just did?
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u/DKTRoo I voted Jun 16 '20
Why blame Mitch McConnell alone instead of every Republican Senator?
The Senate majority leader is not a Constitutionally-defined position, and only carries the rights of what the Senate majority can do. If even 4 Republican Senators decided to caucus with the Dems, he would be unable to accomplish anything. Yet none of them do so, showing they fully support his actions. He is just the lightning rod for ire.
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u/UsoppFutureKing Jun 20 '20
Why didn't Obama mean it when he said hope and change? If he offered the hope and change he promised President trump wouldn't be possible. Instead he went the corporate friendly path. He didn't attempt to fix anything and picked a Citigroup backed cabinet. He did nothing to change anything for the people and protected his people. Why didn't he fight for who he said he would making he made trump inevitable?
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u/desertsail912 Jun 16 '20
How do we get people behind the idea that trickle-down economics just doesn't work? And how do we address the exponentially rising gap between the 1% and the rest of us? It seems that cost of education, real estate, cost of living, etc (in short, everything that used to be a gateway into middle class) is getting more and more expensive with cost rising much faster than peoples' incomes.
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u/Bobert70x7 Jun 16 '20
What, if anything, would you recommend for Trump campaign with regards to speeches/public appearances to help his save chances in November?
Likewise, what would you encourage Biden to hammer home over the next four months?
For the record, I'm for the latter. I just wish I was a fly on the wall of rooms of Trump staffers trying to do damage control.
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u/Im_Retroelectro Jun 16 '20
You say a Biden presidency will be much more progressive than Obama’s. Why is it that our leaders are only doing what is politically expedient instead of, you know, leading.
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Jun 16 '20
Ok, I hope you dont get insulted because this is an honest question. Why should I give a damn what political insight a speech writer has? Honestly, unless you have some other degrees or political experience I fail to see how being very good at writing and being around the president a lot makes you an expert at anything.
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u/mutemutiny Jun 17 '20
Hopefully someone else asked this, but why didn't the Obama admin fight harder to get Garland a hearing? Or why didn't they just fight harder PERIOD on this issue? To me it's still one of the greatest travesties of my lifetime, and I'm not young.
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u/jswright2005 Kansas Jun 16 '20 edited Jun 16 '20
Why do you believe Mitch McConnell was able to survive, politically, through the major shifts brought about to the GOP from the Tea Party, to the “young guns,” and now to Trump?
As a party leader, how has he successfully avoided the wrath and resentment of conservative voters in his state, while others such as Boehner, Cantor, and Ryan, all fell out of favor with voters and the party at large?
P.S. - huge fan of your work, and studied it frequently in college while majoring in communications with a focus on campaign rhetoric. I took a lot of cues from your speeches while writing mock campaign speeches in my courses. I was so good at it that I now test software for a living in a completely unrelated field.