Sen. Michael Bennet on why this is a dismal, sociopathic era in Congress
August 08, 2017 13:05
00:00 / 79:34
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Michael Bennet is an accidental senator. He was unexpectedly appointed to fill
an open seat after Ken Salazar joined the Obama administration. He had never
run for elected office before, or served in a legislative body. Perhaps that’s
why he’s always, in my experience, been appropriately shocked by how the US
Congress actually works. Since joining the Senate (and winning reelection in
2010 and 2016), Bennet has become one of its more effective members. He was
part of the Gang of Eight that authored the immigration reform plan that
passed the body, and he’s known for working well with both Republicans and
Democrats. And yet, he is despairing over the state of the institution in
which he serves. This is a conversation about why Congress is broken, and what
broke it. We discuss money, partisanship, the media, the rules, the
leadership, and much more. We talk about what Bennet thinks House of Cards
gets right (hint: it’s the sociopathy) and whether President Trump’s antics
are creating some hope of institutional renewal. There’s a lot of good stuff
in this conversation, and I don’t want to spoil it. Suffice to say, if you
care about the US Congress in this age — and you should — this is a discussion
worth hearing. Books: Evicted: Poverty and Profit in the American City by
Matthew Desmond Behind the Beautiful Forevers: Life, Death, and Hope in a
Mumbai Undercity by Katherine Boo The Retreat of Western Liberalism by Edward
Luce Read more
an open seat after Ken Salazar joined the Obama administration. He had never
run for elected office before, or served in a legislative body. Perhaps that’s
why he’s always, in my experience, been appropriately shocked by how the US
Congress actually works. Since joining the Senate (and winning reelection in
2010 and 2016), Bennet has become one of its more effective members. He was
part of the Gang of Eight that authored the immigration reform plan that
passed the body, and he’s known for working well with both Republicans and
Democrats. And yet, he is despairing over the state of the institution in
which he serves. This is a conversation about why Congress is broken, and what
broke it. We discuss money, partisanship, the media, the rules, the
leadership, and much more. We talk about what Bennet thinks House of Cards
gets right (hint: it’s the sociopathy) and whether President Trump’s antics
are creating some hope of institutional renewal. There’s a lot of good stuff
in this conversation, and I don’t want to spoil it. Suffice to say, if you
care about the US Congress in this age — and you should — this is a discussion
worth hearing. Books: Evicted: Poverty and Profit in the American City by
Matthew Desmond Behind the Beautiful Forevers: Life, Death, and Hope in a
Mumbai Undercity by Katherine Boo The Retreat of Western Liberalism by Edward
Luce Read more
Michael Bennet is an accidental senator. He was unexpectedly appointed to fill
an open seat after Ken Salazar joined the Obama administration. He had never
run for elected office before, or served in a legislative body. Perhaps that’s
why he’s always, in my experience, been appropriately shocked by how the US
Congress actually works. Since joining the Senate (and winning reelection in
2010 and 2016), Bennet has become one of its more effective members. He was
part of the Gang of Eight that authored the immigration reform plan that
passed the body, and he’s known for working well with both Republicans and
Democrats. And yet, he is despairing over the state of the institution in
which he serves. This is a conversation about why Congress is broken, and what
broke it. We discuss money, partisanship, the media, the rules, the
leadership, and much more. We talk about what Bennet thinks House of Cards
gets right (hint: it’s the sociopathy) and whether President Trump’s antics
are creating some hope of institutional renewal. There’s a lot of good stuff
in this conversation, and I don’t want to spoil it. Suffice to say, if you
care about the US Congress in this age — and you should — this is a discussion
worth hearing. Books: Evicted: Poverty and Profit in the American City by
Matthew Desmond Behind the Beautiful Forevers: Life, Death, and Hope in a
Mumbai Undercity by Katherine Boo The Retreat of Western Liberalism by Edward
Luce
an open seat after Ken Salazar joined the Obama administration. He had never
run for elected office before, or served in a legislative body. Perhaps that’s
why he’s always, in my experience, been appropriately shocked by how the US
Congress actually works. Since joining the Senate (and winning reelection in
2010 and 2016), Bennet has become one of its more effective members. He was
part of the Gang of Eight that authored the immigration reform plan that
passed the body, and he’s known for working well with both Republicans and
Democrats. And yet, he is despairing over the state of the institution in
which he serves. This is a conversation about why Congress is broken, and what
broke it. We discuss money, partisanship, the media, the rules, the
leadership, and much more. We talk about what Bennet thinks House of Cards
gets right (hint: it’s the sociopathy) and whether President Trump’s antics
are creating some hope of institutional renewal. There’s a lot of good stuff
in this conversation, and I don’t want to spoil it. Suffice to say, if you
care about the US Congress in this age — and you should — this is a discussion
worth hearing. Books: Evicted: Poverty and Profit in the American City by
Matthew Desmond Behind the Beautiful Forevers: Life, Death, and Hope in a
Mumbai Undercity by Katherine Boo The Retreat of Western Liberalism by Edward
Luce
