Casey Burgat on We Hold These "Truths"

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Casey Burgat on We Hold These "Truths"

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https://www.c-span.org/program/book-tv/ ... ths/655225
February 3, 2025
Book TV
Casey Burgat on We Hold These "Truths"
Casey Burgat talked about his book, We Hold These "Truths": How to Spot the Myths that are Holding America Back.


Excellent segment on the many mistakes that each of us make.

Here is the book, which I hope to read.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0D5WLLLBD/?r ... l_huc_item
We Hold These "Truths": How to Spot the Myths that are Holding America Back Paperback – February 4, 2025
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Re: Casey Burgat on We Hold These "Truths"

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Do you have an example of one or two?
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Re: Casey Burgat on We Hold These "Truths"

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yankees60 wrote: Mon Feb 03, 2025 1:17 pm https://www.c-span.org/program/book-tv/ ... ths/655225
February 3, 2025
Book TV
Casey Burgat on We Hold These "Truths"
Casey Burgat talked about his book, We Hold These "Truths": How to Spot the Myths that are Holding America Back.


Excellent segment on the many mistakes that each of us make.

Here is the book, which I hope to read.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0D5WLLLBD/?r ... l_huc_item
We Hold These "Truths": How to Spot the Myths that are Holding America Back Paperback – February 4, 2025
1. I was listening to it mostly while I was moving around so was not getting full attention plus took no notes.
2. The above seems to be incorrect. This should be correct:
https://www.c-span.org/program/book-tv/ ... ths/655225
3. There is a full transcript below the video.


I am trying to think now if I can remember any of it. No success!

I will, though, at some point be reading the book.

But two just came to me.

Myths

1. We need term limits.
2. Lobbyists are bad.
Above provided by: Vinny, who always says: "I only regret that I have but one lap to give to my cats." AND "I'm a more-is-more person."
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Re: Casey Burgat on We Hold These "Truths"

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No term limits and shameless lobbying is a good definition of dictatorship.

Rightoids in shambles https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/ ... ing-office

Leftoids in shambles https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MrYxMsWmrjk
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Re: Casey Burgat on We Hold These "Truths"

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boglerdude wrote: Tue Feb 04, 2025 2:36 am No term limits and shameless lobbying is a good definition of dictatorship.

Rightoids in shambles https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/ ... ing-office

Leftoids in shambles https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MrYxMsWmrjk
"No term limits and shameless lobbying is a good definition of dictatorship."

How myths continue to get propagated.

I hope to start reading the book today so will have more to say about it.
Above provided by: Vinny, who always says: "I only regret that I have but one lap to give to my cats." AND "I'm a more-is-more person."
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Re: Casey Burgat on We Hold These "Truths"

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About to start reading it. This Table of Contents should tell you a lot about the book.

Table of Contents

INTRODUCTION ..................................................................................................... 7

“THE FOUNDERS, IN THEIR INFINITE WISDOM,...” ................................... 21

INSIDE THE CONSTITUTIONAL CONVENTION ........................................................ 26

“High Crimes and Misdemeanors”: ....................................................................... 29

“Necessary and Proper”: ............................................................................................ 30

“Advice and Consent”: ................................................................................................ 31

CONSTITUTIONAL COMPROMISES ............................................................................. 32

AMENDING FROM DAY ONE ........................................................................................ 36

REAL-LIFE ADAPTATION .............................................................................................. 39

TODAY: LIVING THE MYTH .......................................................................................... 45

“I VOTE THE ISSUES, NOT THE PARTY” ....................................................... 48

THE INFLUENCERS .......................................................................................................... 53

Party Over Policy .......................................................................................................... 55

Leadership Trumps Ideology .................................................................................. 60

The Hard Truth ............................................................................................................. 62

US AND THEM .................................................................................................................. 64

Political Mega-Identities .......................................................................................... 66

OPPORTUNISTIC LEADERS ............................................................................................ 70

Rhetoric ............................................................................................................................ 71

Identity ............................................................................................................................. 74

OVERCOMING THE MYTH ............................................................................................ 77

Identify the Influence Campaigns ......................................................................... 77

Identify When You’re Vulnerable .......................................................................... 78

Demand More of Our Leaders ................................................................................ 81

“THE PRESIDENT SHOULD JUST…” ................................................................ 87

POWERS OF POTUS ........................................................................................................ 96

POLARIZER-IN-CHIEF ..................................................................................................... 99

LEGISLATING FROM THE OVAL ................................................................................. 105

LIVE BY THE PEN, DIE BY THE PEN .............................................................................. 111

The Downsides of Presidential Power Grabs ................................................ 115

POWER, PROMISE, AND PRESIDENTIAL REALITY .................................................. 119

“MEMBERS OF CONGRESS DON’T DO ANYTHING” ................................. 123

MISPERCEPTION #1: MEMBERS OF CONGRESS BARELY PASS ANY LAWS. ..... 126

MISPERCEPTION #2: WHEN MEMBERS OF CONGRESS ARE IN DC, ALL THEY DO

IS RAISE MONEY FOR THEIR RE-ELECTION CAMPAIGNS. ...................................... 131

MISPERCEPTION #3: MEMBERS OF CONGRESS OFTEN SKIP THEIR COMMITTEE

MEETINGS AND MISS VOTES ......................................................................................... 139

MISPERCEPTION #4: WHEN CONGRESS ISN’T IN SESSION, MEMBERS OF

CONGRESS ARE ON VACATION. ................................................................................. 142

MISPERCEPTION #5 WHEN MEMBERS OF CONGRESS DON’T PASS BILLS,

THEY’RE INEFFECTUAL. ................................................................................................ 147

Legislating ................................................................................................................... 147

Conducting Oversight .............................................................................................. 149

Convening ..................................................................................................................... 150

Solving Casework Problems ................................................................................. 150

MISPERCEPTION #6: CONGRESS JUST KEEPS GETTING WORSE – AND THERE’S

NO HOPE ON THE HORIZON ........................................................................................ 151

DITCHING THE CONGRESS MISPERCEPTIONS ...................................................... 155

“THE SUPREME COURT HAS BECOME TOO POLITICAL” ...................... 157

THE SUPREME COURT HAS ALWAYS BEEN POLITICAL ...................................... 160

THE MODERN COURT:TOO MUCH POWER, TOO LITTLE ACCOUNTABILITY

............................................................................................................................................ 169

THE DANGERS OF AN APOLITICAL COURT ........................................................... 176

MAKE THE COURTS POLITICAL AGAIN .................................................................. 180

“POLITICIANS ARE BOUGHT AND PAID FOR” ......................................... 187

INSIDE THE CAMPAIGN CASH MACHINE ............................................................... 191

MONEY TALKS, BUT DOES IT SWAY VOTES? .......................................................... 194

THE ACCESS ARMS RACE ON CAPITOL HILL ........................................................ 197

THE HIGH COSTS OF WINNING ELECTIONS .......................................................... 199

THE DARK INFLUENCE OF DARK MONEY .............................................................. 205

BREAKING THE CHAINS OF CAMPAIGN CASH ...................................................... 207

“LOBBYISTS ARE EVIL” ................................................................................... 211

IN DEFENSE OF THE SCARLET 'L' ............................................................................... 215

FROM EAVESDROPPER TO ADVOCATE .................................................................... 219

DEBUNKING THE LOBBYIST STEREOTYPE ............................................................... 221

TRUST, TRUTH, AND INFLUENCE ............................................................................. 230

STRIKING THE BALANCE FOR A FAIRER DEMOCRACY ........................................ 235

“TERM LIMITS WILL FIX OUR BROKEN CONGRESS” ............................. 239

THE POPULAR CASE FOR TERM LIMITS .................................................................. 241

TERM LIMITS IN REAL LIFE ........................................................................................ 244

No Such Thing as a Citizen Legislature ........................................................... 247

Empowering Lobbyists, Not Legislators ......................................................... 252

Fast-Tracking Polarization .................................................................................. 255

The Senioritis Effect in Congress ........................................................................ 256

WHAT ABOUT POTUS? ............................................................................................... 258

BIG PROBLEMS, TARGETED SOLUTIONS ................................................................. 260

“BIPARTISANSHIP IS DEAD” ......................................................................... 267

BIPARTISANSHIP: ALIVE AND WELL ......................................................................... 271

HOW IS BIPARTISANSHIP POSSIBLE? ......................................................................... 280

THE PARTISANSHIP PARADOX .................................................................................. 285

EMPOWER THE COMPROMISERS ............................................................................... 290

“I WISH THE PARTIES WOULD WORK TOGETHER” .............................. 295

WHEN COMPROMISE BECOMES IRRATIONAL ....................................................... 300

WHY STALEMATE STARTED MAKING SENSE ......................................................... 303

PRIMARY MOTIVATIONS ............................................................................................. 310

NO, IT’S NOT ALL GERRYMANDERING’S FAULT .................................................. 314

UNJAMMING THE SYSTEM ........................................................................................... 323

“THE FILIBUSTER FORCES COMPROMISE” .............................................. 329

CIVIL RIGHTS AND EVERYTHING ELSE ................................................................... 342

SUPERMAJORITY RULES ............................................................................................... 349

THE FILIBUSTER STRESS TEST .................................................................................... 353

“THE MEDIA WANTS TO POLARIZE US” .................................................... 361

INSIDE THE BUREAU ..................................................................................................... 365

The Business of the News Business .................................................................... 370

The Modern Media Incentive Structure .......................................................... 374

THE STRATEGY OF MEDIA DISTRUST ...................................................................... 381

RECLAIMING THE NARRATIVE ................................................................................. 386

“KEEP YOUR POLITICS OUT OF MY SPORTS” .......................................... 391

ON THE RECORD BOOKS ............................................................................................ 396

OFF THE BENCH, INTO THE FRAY ............................................................................. 400

STADIUMS OF INFLUENCE ........................................................................................... 403

THE HISTORICALLY UNEVEN PLAYING FIELD ...................................................... 407

THERE IS NO STICKING TO SPORTS ........................................................................ 410

EPILOGUE: NOW, THE REAL WORK BEGINS ............................................ 413
Above provided by: Vinny, who always says: "I only regret that I have but one lap to give to my cats." AND "I'm a more-is-more person."
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Re: Casey Burgat on We Hold These "Truths"

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The Table of Contents was……

What do you personally plan to do after investing your time in reading 400+ pages of what appears to be a detailed description of 2 1/2 centuries of corruption by “other people”?

In other words, is it going to add fuel to worrying about things you can’t control? Not trying to be snarky, it’s just my impression from reading the Table of Contents.
Put not your trust in princes, nor in the son of man, in whom there is no help. Psalm 146:3
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Re: Casey Burgat on We Hold These "Truths"

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Mountaineer wrote: Wed Feb 05, 2025 9:10 am The Table of Contents was……

What do you personally plan to do after investing your time in reading 400+ pages of what appears to be a detailed description of 2 1/2 centuries of corruption by “other people”?

In other words, is it going to add fuel to worrying about things you can’t control? Not trying to be snarky, it’s just my impression from reading the Table of Contents.
It is the complete opposite. Reducing worrying about things I cannot control, which I don't think I tend to do since my worrying is already full of issues that I do have control over.

But from reading the beginning of the book I can see it is going to be extremely elucidating.

I am all for having better knowledge, more truth. You?

In the first part I read what a mish-mash compromise our Constitution was. There was a fair amount of disagreement over much of it. But the Founding Fathers had enough wisdom to know that doing something was better than not doing the perfect. They also had the wisdom to leave much of it to be vague, to be left for future generations to apply it in the time they were living in.

In other words, they did not expect it to be treated like The Bible, as the official word down to every word.

Too many people have a reverence for The Constitution that not only was it a perfect document for the times but it is the perfect document going forward for centuries. All the amendments, including the first ones - The Bill of Rights - were testaments to The Founding Fathers again showing that it was not a perfect document.
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Re: Casey Burgat on We Hold These "Truths"

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yankees60 wrote: Wed Feb 05, 2025 11:44 am
Mountaineer wrote: Wed Feb 05, 2025 9:10 am The Table of Contents was……

What do you personally plan to do after investing your time in reading 400+ pages of what appears to be a detailed description of 2 1/2 centuries of corruption by “other people”?

In other words, is it going to add fuel to worrying about things you can’t control? Not trying to be snarky, it’s just my impression from reading the Table of Contents.
It is the complete opposite. Reducing worrying about things I cannot control, which I don't think I tend to do since my worrying is already full of issues that I do have control over.

But from reading the beginning of the book I can see it is going to be extremely elucidating.

I am all for having better knowledge, more truth. You?

In the first part I read what a mish-mash compromise our Constitution was. There was a fair amount of disagreement over much of it. But the Founding Fathers had enough wisdom to know that doing something was better than not doing the perfect. They also had the wisdom to leave much of it to be vague, to be left for future generations to apply it in the time they were living in.

In other words, they did not expect it to be treated like The Bible, as the official word down to every word.

Too many people have a reverence for The Constitution that not only was it a perfect document for the times but it is the perfect document going forward for centuries. All the amendments, including the first ones - The Bill of Rights - were testaments to The Founding Fathers again showing that it was not a perfect document.
Re the bolded sentence: Of course. I’m just extremely discriminating about what is really knowledge and truth vs. someone with an axe to grind’s interpretation meant to sound good to the average person. I’m probably biased by what passes for ‘history’ that is being required by the education department bureaucracy to be taught (according to some of my public school teacher friends - not my first hand knowledge). I shall be interested in what you think of the book - seriously.

Edit to add: I just read Casey Burgat’s bio, in particular I noted the places that published his work - I am skeptical about his objectivity to say the least.
Put not your trust in princes, nor in the son of man, in whom there is no help. Psalm 146:3
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Re: Casey Burgat on We Hold These "Truths"

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Mountaineer wrote: Wed Feb 05, 2025 12:34 pm
yankees60 wrote: Wed Feb 05, 2025 11:44 am
Mountaineer wrote: Wed Feb 05, 2025 9:10 am The Table of Contents was……

What do you personally plan to do after investing your time in reading 400+ pages of what appears to be a detailed description of 2 1/2 centuries of corruption by “other people”?

In other words, is it going to add fuel to worrying about things you can’t control? Not trying to be snarky, it’s just my impression from reading the Table of Contents.
It is the complete opposite. Reducing worrying about things I cannot control, which I don't think I tend to do since my worrying is already full of issues that I do have control over.

But from reading the beginning of the book I can see it is going to be extremely elucidating.

I am all for having better knowledge, more truth. You?

In the first part I read what a mish-mash compromise our Constitution was. There was a fair amount of disagreement over much of it. But the Founding Fathers had enough wisdom to know that doing something was better than not doing the perfect. They also had the wisdom to leave much of it to be vague, to be left for future generations to apply it in the time they were living in.

In other words, they did not expect it to be treated like The Bible, as the official word down to every word.

Too many people have a reverence for The Constitution that not only was it a perfect document for the times but it is the perfect document going forward for centuries. All the amendments, including the first ones - The Bill of Rights - were testaments to The Founding Fathers again showing that it was not a perfect document.
Re the bolded sentence: Of course. I’m just extremely discriminating about what is really knowledge and truth vs. someone with an axe to grind’s interpretation meant to sound good to the average person. I’m probably biased by what passes for ‘history’ that is being required by the education department bureaucracy to be taught (according to some of my public school teacher friends - not my first hand knowledge). I shall be interested in what you think of the book - seriously.

Edit to add: I just read Casey Burgat’s bio, in particular I noted the places that published his work - I am skeptical about his objectivity to say the least.
One of my prime reasons for consuming so much C-Span are two.

1) They show things as they are happening in their entirety with no commentary.
2) For Washington Journal, the hosts are totally unbiased, they have guests of all political persuasions, and they try to take representative calls from viewers who are Republican, Democratic, Independent.

Watch Casey Burgat on the Washington Journal episode and see if you detect any bias. Not yet seen any in the book so far.

This is his official biography here:

https://gspm.gwu.edu/casey-burgat

Casey Burgat is the director of the Legislative Affairs program at the Graduate School of Political Management and host of its Mastering the Room podcast. Prior to joining GSPM, Dr. Burgat was a Senior Governance Fellow at the R Street Institute where his research focused on issues of congressional capacity and reform. In this role, Casey wrote regularly for both scholarly and journalistic publications, including CNN, the Washington Post, and Politico, and appeared on a variety of television and radio outlets. Dr. Burgat coauthored Congress Explained: Representation and Lawmaking in the First Branch, a textbook on all things Congress, published by the Sage/CQ Press in the fall of 2022.

Previously, Casey worked at the Congressional Research Service, where he served in the Executive Branch Operations and the Congress & Judiciary sections. There, he was responsible for responding to congressional requests about federal rulemaking, issues of congressional reform, the president’s role in federal budgeting, federal advisory committees, and congressional staffing.

Casey is a graduate of Arizona State University, with a bachelor’s degree in political science. He also holds a master’s in political management from George Washington University and received his doctorate in government and politics from the University of Maryland, College Park, where his dissertation focused on the impacts of congressional staff.
Above provided by: Vinny, who always says: "I only regret that I have but one lap to give to my cats." AND "I'm a more-is-more person."
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Re: Casey Burgat on We Hold These "Truths"

Post by yankees60 »

Also, just now had CNN on while Trump was speaking live. But then they went to commentary while he was still speaking. Quickly scurried over to C-Span so I could hear it real and not via someone else's interpretation.

No doubt that both CNN and MSNBC have their viewpoints. But nowhere as blatant or biased as Fox News.
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Re: Casey Burgat on We Hold These "Truths"

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That’s the same Bio I read.
Put not your trust in princes, nor in the son of man, in whom there is no help. Psalm 146:3
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