Chuck’s Commentary - Congress Deliberately Created “Shutdown Politics” + Americans Believe We’re In A “Political Crisis”

On this episode of the Chuck ToddCast, Chuck looks at new polling showing just how unsettled Americans feel heading into yet another potential government shutdown. With 93% of the country agreeing that political violence is a problem and a majority believing we’re in a full-blown political crisis, partisanship has hardened to the point where disagreement itself is seen as betrayal. Chuck traces how government shutdowns—once unheard of before 1980—became a recurring political weapon, thanks to Justice Department rulings, congressional maneuvering, and laws that reduced the political pain by exempting things like military pay and Social Security. The result: contractors left stranded, bipartisanship all but eliminated, and a system designed to fail.Finally, Chuck takes a trip in the ToddCast Time Machine to 1974, when congress gave the Freedom of Information Act teeth, plus answers listeners’ questions in the “Ask Chuck” segment.Got injured in an accident? You could be one click away from a claim worth millions. Just visit https://www.forthepeople.com/TODDCAST to start your claim now with Morgan & Morgan without leaving your couch. Remember, it's free unless you win!Timeline:(Timestamps may vary based on advertisements)00:00 Introduction01:00 New polling out leading into potential government shutdown 02:00 93% of the country believe political violence is a problem 03:00 Majority of the country believes we're in a "political crisis" 04:00 Democrats less likely to talk politics across the aisle 05:30 Partisans believe you're on "the other side'' if you don't agree with them 07:45 People need to feel secure in having political debate 09:00 Independent voters are disenfranchised relative to D & R voters 11:15 Before 1980 America never had a government shutdown 12:30 Two Justice Department opinions created the legal basis for shutdowns 15:00 Government shutdown threats are now an annual occurrence 16:15 Two laws passed to make political cost of a shutdown less painful 17:45 Exemptions for military pay and social security make shutdowns easier 18:45 Proposals for automatic government funding haven't passed 21:15 Government contractors can't work under shutdowns or CR's 22:30 Politicians deliberately created the conditions that lead to shutdowns 23:45 Congressional leadership wanted to create artificial leverage 25:00 The incentive structures for bipartisan compromise are gone 27:30 Congress had the power to deal with shutdowns and didn't30:30 The ToddCast Time Machine 31:00 October 5th, 1974 Congress put teeth in the Freedom of Information Act 32:30 Cheney and Rumsfeld argued transparency would hurt national security 33:00 Lawmakers overruled the presidential veto 35:00 Florida has some of the strongest government transparency laws 35:45 Multiple states created their own transparency laws after FOIA 37:00 Pentagon demanded restrictions on journalists, no outlets agree 39:00 We can't have a democracy without transparency 41:45 When your party is out of power you're more likely to believe nonsense 43:00 Ask Chuck 43:15 Parallels between LDS church in UT & OK nearly becoming a black state? 46:00 Chances the Republican gerrymanders backfire? 50:45 How can Americans abroad stay civically engaged and bring about change? 55:45 Where do you get your optimism from in this political climate?See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.