Civil Discourse Podcast

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  S01, E01: Welcome to Civil Discourse

  Nia Rodgers and John Aughenbaugh

  The authors explain their goals and mission for the Civil Discourse podcast. Nia and Aughie (or guests, occasionally) will use a federal government document to launch a conversation of some aspect of the federal governments. They will occasionally disagree, but will strive to maintain civility.

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  S01, E02: 15 Unicorns: Becoming a Department Secretary, Part 1 of 3

  Nia Rodgers and John Aughenbaugh

  This podcast, 15 Unicorns Part 1, is one in a series of three about the process of becoming a cabinet secretary for the US Government. In this part, the key elements needed to be considered for the nomination are discussed. These include who they know and/or their importance to the ruling party, previous government expertise, connection to the president, and expertise in the field. In addition, the vetting process is reviewed and key benchmarks are noted.

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  S01, E03: 15 Unicorns: Becoming a Department Secretary, Part 2 of 3

  Nia Rodgers and John Aughenbaugh

  This podcast, 15 Unicorns Part 2, second in a series of three, continues the discussion about process of becoming a cabinet Secretary in the US Government, and focuses on the nomination document for Alex Azar, II to be the Secretary of Health and Human services before the Committee on Finance. The document (which has been heavily wordsmithed by lawyers, speech writers, etc.) is used to lay out the convincing groundwork prior to the nominee talking. The idiosyncrasies of the confirmation process are revealed including what happens when the confirmation is opposed and why.

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  S01, E04: 15 Unicorns: Becoming a Department Secretary, Part 3 of 3

  Nia Rodgers and John Aughenbaugh

  This final podcast in the 15 Unicorns series delves into the confirmation hearing itself which is to give information to the senators on the committee who make the initial decision for the Senate. The questioning process is sometimes contentious and looking for areas of weakness such as conflicts of interest and speech and voting records; nothing is off the table. The sessions are available for public scrutiny as well as being open to the press (think C-SPAN, etc.).

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  S01, E05: Not Quite Schoolhouse Rock: Getting a Bill Through Congress, Part 1 of 2

  Nia Rodgers and John Aughenbaugh

  This podcast, Part 1 of 2, will delve into how to get a bill through Congress. The Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 is used as an example of the process of creating a bill and what happens once it leaves the hands of the creator and moves through committee, to the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) where it is scored, to the Congressional Research Service for further research, and then to the committee chair where they can move it forward or “chair it” (AKA 86 it) the bill.

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  S01, E06: Not Quite Schoolhouse Rock: Getting a Bill Through Congress, Part 2 of 2

  Nia Rodgers and John Aughenbaugh

  This podcast, part 2 of 2, picks up where we left off last time – at the point where the Senate majority leader has almost the unilateral discretion to decide when a bill is going to get a vote by the Senate body as a whole. The process then moves to the floor for unlimited debate, aka the filibuster, to not take a vote or make amendments to further negotiate the bill before, if approved, it goes to the house for approval (checks and balances). Believe it or not, there are still many steps before a bill becomes a law, and they are all covered in this podcast.

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  S02, E01: Eviction Part 1 – The Short Take

  Nia Rodgers, Katheryn Howell, Benjamin Teresa, and Donna Coghill

  This podcast, Part 1 of 2, discusses the VCU Common Book, Evicted, by Matthew Desmond, and the eviction process in general. It covers both the technical definition (the legal process that leads to someone to be physically removed from the place that they rent) as well as the broader “forced moves” that are enacted by landlords without the legal process as well as the creation of the RVA Eviction Lab as a way to research the topic and bring attention to it.

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  S02, E02: Eviction Part 2 – The Longer Take

  Nia Rodgers, Katheryn Howell, Benjamin Teresa, and Donna Coghill

  This podcast is a continuation of the podcast Eviction Part 1. It discusses cases of eviction, how the instability of housing impacts individuals and neighborhoods, section eight and how eviction is just the latest form of dispossession of people. It looks at neighborhoods in Richmond that have seen instability in some form over the last 100 years.

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  S02, E03: Federal Budgeting: The President Starts

  Nia Rodgers and John Aughenbaugh

  This podcast reviews the federal budget process starting with the president (through the Office of Budget and Management, OMB), the OMB sending out memos to each federal agency for their requirements, the agencies responding and the revised budget going to Congress where it is scrutinized and perceived politically.

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  S02, E04: Federal Budgeting: Congress’ Turn

  Nia Rodgers and John Aughenbaugh

  This podcast continues the conversation about the federal budget process but this time focuses on Congresses’ role. It follows the path of the budget from the president’s office through Congressional leadership and the budget committee (that agrees to the total amount) and appropriations committee (that figures out who gets what) and how the budget is broken up into several appropriations bills to get it passed.

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  S02, E05: Post Office Part 1 – How Do I Get on a Postage Stamp?

  Nia Rodgers and Hillary Miller

  This podcast, part 1 of 2, reviews the process of getting a picture on a postage stamp. It all starts with the Citizens Stamp Advisory Committee. According to the committee, you have to be dead and have had some kind of significant impact on American and have a widespread, and positive national appeal (so no serial killers allowed!). Also, copyright issues regarding stamps and their usage are discussed.

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  S02, E06: Post Office Part 2 – History of the Post Office

  Nia Rodgers and John Aughenbaugh

  This podcast, part 2 of 2, discusses the creation of the post office to unify the country, to create a way to connect sellers and buyers and also to help aid in the migratory patterns of the United States. The Pony Express, the Postmaster General, the Sears catalog, the censorship of mail during war times and the railroads are all part of the story of the US Post Office and its impact on American society.

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  S02, E07: Down With Broccoli! Executive Orders

  Nia Rodgers and Bill Newmann

  This podcast reviews the process and internal working of what it takes to issue a presidential executive order the subsequent issues including potential legal ramifications, injunctions, etc. It also includes examples of executive orders from Bush 43, Barack Obama and Donald Trump (and a fictitious executive order about banning Broccoli).

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  S02, E08: Rules for the Rulemakers: The Federal Register

  Nia Rodgers and John Aughenbaugh

  This podcast reviews the Federal Register (AKA the bible for bureaucrats) which is defined as: "…the official daily publication for rules, proposed rules, and notices of federal agencies and organizations, as well as executive orders and other presidential documents." Federal agencies must register their intentions with the Federal Registry for their future intentions to comply with the 1946 Administrative Procedures Act (APA). Also, the process of review and analysis of these types of proposals is discussed.

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  S02, E09: Tell Me About the 25th Amendment

  Nia Rodgers and John Aughenbaugh

  This podcast takes a look at the 25th Amendment, which was proposed after the death of President Kennedy, which provides the procedures for replacing the president or vice president in the event of death, removal, resignation, or incapacitation. The four sections of the amendment reviewed with examples.

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  S02, E10: Commerce Clause 1: Mudflaps and Interstate Commerce

  Nia Rodgers and John Aughenbaugh

  This episode, part 1 of 3, introduces the listeners to the Commerce Clause, including when and why it was included in the Constitution, what it regulates and its importance to the oversight of commercial intercourse in the United States. It also discusses the case of Bibb versus Navajo Freight Lines which challenged Illinois’ right to control the types of mud flaps that truckers could use when driving through the state.

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  S02, E11: Commerce Clause 2: Grandmas Growing Pot

  Nia Rodgers and John Aughenbaugh

  This episode, part 2 of 3, continues the discussion of the Commerce Clause, including cases about farmers growing extra crops and grandmothers growing medicinal marijuana.

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  S02, E12: Commerce Clause 3: Affordable Care Carrots and Sticks

  Nia Rodgers and John Aughenbaugh

  The final episode in this series, part 3 of 3, tackles the Commerce Clause from the standpoint of the Affordable Care Act and the use of federal funds as both a carrot and a stick to induce individuals and states to behave in certain ways.

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  S02, E13: Turkey Pardons

  Nia Rodgers and John Aughenbaugh

  This episode introduces listener's to the tradition of the president's pardoning of turkeys at Thanksgiving and uses that as a springboard for discussion about presidential powers to issue pardons.

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  S03, E01: War Powers

  Nia Rodgers and John Aughenbaugh

  In this episode, Nia wants to invade Canada when she is President, and Aughie explains why she might want to get Congressional buy-in for an invasion. We talk about the War Powers Act and the responsibilities and limits of the executive and legislative branches when it comes to military action.

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  S03, E02: Electoral College

  Nia Rodgers and John Aughenbaugh

  Nia and Aughie discuss strategies likely to be employed in the 2020 presidential election. They also explore two cases before the US Supreme Court involving faithless electors, and the potential punishments they might face.

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  S03, E03: Iowa Caucus

  Nia Rodgers and John Aughenbaugh

  Nia and Aughie discuss the messiness of the Iowa Democratic caucus at some length. Aughie offers a historical look at the caucus process, and the primary process in general.

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  S03, E04: Space Force

  Nia Rodgers and John Aughenbaugh

  Nia and Aughie discuss the creation of a Space Force, as well as how agencies are created and changed in general.

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  S03, E05: Impeachment

  Nia Rodgers and John Aughenbaugh

  Nia and Aughie explore the impeachment process regarding President Trump, and the possible outcomes of the acquittal. A discussion of the peaceful transition of powers ensues.

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  S03, E06: Creating a Federal Holiday

  Nia Rodgers and John Aughenbaugh

  Nia and Aughie talk about how federal holidays are created. They also explore the idea of new federal holidays, and the consequences of such celebrations.