The Decline and Fall of the U.S. Senate

Washington Monthly

The Decline and Fall of the U.S. Senate

Play Episode Pause Episode

1x

00:00 /

Apple Podcasts Spotify YouTube

RSS Feed

Share

Link

Embed

<blockquote class="wp-embedded-content" data-secret="8EpQVdfIRl"><a href="https://washingtonmonthly.com/podcast/ep-20-the-decline-and-fall-of-the-u-s-senate/">The Decline and Fall of the U.S. Senate</a></blockquote><iframe sandbox="allow-scripts" security="restricted" src="https://washingtonmonthly.com/podcast/ep-20-the-decline-and-fall-of-the-u-s-senate/embed/#?secret=8EpQVdfIRl" width="500" height="350" title="&#8220;The Decline and Fall of the U.S. Senate&#8221; &#8212; Washington Monthly" data-secret="8EpQVdfIRl" frameborder="0" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" scrolling="no" class="wp-embedded-content"></iframe><script> /*! This file is auto-generated */ !function(d,l){"use strict";l.querySelector&&d.addEventListener&&"undefined"!=typeof URL&&(d.wp=d.wp||{},d.wp.receiveEmbedMessage||(d.wp.receiveEmbedMessage=function(e){var t=e.data;if((t||t.secret||t.message||t.value)&&!/[^a-zA-Z0-9]/.test(t.secret)){for(var s,r,n,a=l.querySelectorAll('iframe[data-secret="'+t.secret+'"]'),o=l.querySelectorAll('blockquote[data-secret="'+t.secret+'"]'),c=new RegExp("^https?:$","i"),i=0;i<o.length;i++)o[i].style.display="none";for(i=0;i<a.length;i++)s=a[i],e.source===s.contentWindow&&(s.removeAttribute("style"),"height"===t.message?(1e3<(r=parseInt(t.value,10))?r=1e3:~~r<200&&(r=200),s.height=r):"link"===t.message&&(r=new URL(s.getAttribute("src")),n=new URL(t.value),c.test(n.protocol))&&n.host===r.host&&l.activeElement===s&&(d.top.location.href=t.value))}},d.addEventListener("message",d.wp.receiveEmbedMessage,!1),l.addEventListener("DOMContentLoaded",function(){for(var e,t,s=l.querySelectorAll("iframe.wp-embedded-content"),r=0;r<s.length;r++)(t=(e=s[r]).getAttribute("data-secret"))||(t=Math.random().toString(36).substring(2,12),e.src+="#?secret="+t,e.setAttribute("data-secret",t)),e.contentWindow.postMessage({message:"ready",secret:t},"*")},!1)))}(window,document); //# sourceURL=https://washingtonmonthly.com/wp-includes/js/wp-embed.min.js </script>

Lawyer and historian Ira Shapiro, author of three widely-acclaimed books on the history of the U.S. Senate, speaks with co-hosts Garrett Epps and Anne Kim about the Senate’s long decline over the last 30 years, the role of former Majority Leader Mitch McConnell in the destruction of the institution, and the need for the Senate to step forward to defend US democracy.

Chapters

00:00 Introduction to Ira Shapiro’s Career and Works

03:31 The Decline of the Senate and Mitch McConnell’s Impact

06:30 McConnell’s Decisions and Their Consequences

09:20 Motivations Behind McConnell’s Actions

12:15 Assessing Chuck Schumer’s Leadership

15:17 Political Violence and Its Effects on Senate Dynamics

18:24 The Case for Impeachment and Trump’s Impact

21:07 The Future of the Senate and Generational Change

24:18 Democratic Strategies for 2027 and Beyond