Extreme Mortman

January 6, 2006. On the C-SPAN morning call-in program, the topic is lobbying and money and politics.   The guest is from the American League of Lobbyists… Here’s one of the calls. Good morning, so, you are either stupid or naive, or whatever. If you are a low-level aid, you know good and well that if I were to call my congressman, who is Frank Wolf, I'm not going to get an audience with him unles...

The 119th Congress will have 12 new Senators. And if you heard election night victory speeches on C-SPAN, you might have learned something new about many of them.  DLike the new Democratic Senator from New Jersey, the first Korean American in the Senate -- Andy Kim: "As I prepare to take on this job, a job that only 2,000 Americans in this history of this country has ever had the honor to do." And...

Why would President Bush talk about broccoli at a prayer breakfast? Where are other places he told his audience how much he disliked broccoli? And what did First Lady Barbara Bush think about her husband’s broccoli hatred – and what stunt did she pull to retaliate? Find out in C-SPAN’s “The Weekly” annual Thanksgiving food episode. Because it’s our first-ever podcast about a side dish. Find C-SPAN...

President-elect Trump wants former Republican Congressman Matt Gaetz to head the Justice Department. If Matt Gaetz does become Attorney General – the 87th Attorney General in U.S. history -- he’d likely appear before the House Judiciary Committee for oversight hearings. What would that sound like? It might go something like this….   GAETZ: And meanwhile, the judge is making money on it. The judge...

The peaceful transfer of power. It’s something outgoing presidents traditionally talk about when turning over the White House to an incoming president … Like Bill Clinton in 2001 – his final radio address: “The peaceful transfer of power from one administration to the next, from one party to another, may confound others around the globe. But it reflects the underlying strength of our Constitution...

Is it possible to use one word to remember or describe the 2024 presidential campaign? If so, that one word might start with the letter S. This year on the campaign trail, the S word seemed to be everywhere. What were candidates talking about that required foul language? How did the crowds react to all the cussing and cursing? And did the candidates express any regrets about using vulgarity and pr...

Getting ready for election night 2024? Excited to hear presidential candidates give victory and concession speeches? First, refresh your memory with top lines from speeches in years past! Like Democrat Jimmy Carter losing in 1980 … “I promised you four years ago that I would never lie to you. So, I can't stand here tonight and say it doesn't hurt. The people of the United States have made their ch...

Getting ready for Halloween? Well, while you're digging out the old costumes and candy … here's one more Halloween staple you need to brace yourself for: Scary Halloween rhetoric on the presidential campaign trail. “It’s good to be in Tampa. And of course, today is Halloween. All the kids are dressing up, doing scary things. That’s the way it is in the White House every day.” That was Republican B...

The date: September 20th, 2024… The place: The White House Rose Garden…. The speaker: actor Martin Sheen.. “You know, the Irish tell the story of a man who arrives at the gates of heaven and asks to be let in. Saint Peter says, ‘Of course. Just show us your scars.’ The man says, ‘I have no scars.’ Saint Peter says ‘What a pity. Was there nothing worth fighting for?’ We are rightly called to find s...

It’s time for the big event with presidential candidates held every four years. The presidential election? Nope. The Al Smith dinner. - “This evening does have a special meaning. The story of Al Smith's historic run for the presidency is truly inspiring. It gives me hope that in America it's still not possible for a fellow named Al to be the commander-in-chief.” - “Now it is an honor to share the...

On October 7, 2023, Hamas launched a surprise attack on Israel. Three days later, House chaplain Margaret Grun Kibben gave the opening prayer in Congress … It was the first meeting of Congress – either the House or Senate -- following the Hamas attack "This morning, O God, keenly aware of the violence and turmoil in Israel and throughout the Middle East, we pray with the psalmist who wrote: Pray f...

In October 2024, James Carville turns 80 years old. Also in October: a new documentary debuts on CNN – “Carville: Winning Is Everything, Stupid.” The longtime Democratic strategist has been involved in national politics since the early days of the Clinton campaign – and even before. So, in the latest C-SPAN podcast "The Weekly," we mark both events with a best-of episode – the best-of – and most c...

Gearing up for the Vice-Presidential debate – Tim Walz versus JD Vance? Then you might want to remember the first time running mates debated in a formal, nationally televised setting: Good evening, I'm James Hoge, editor of the Chicago Sun Times, and moderator of this third of the historic debates of the 1976 campaign. Tonight we have the vice-presidential candidates: for the Democrats, Senator Wa...

You might have heard Oprah Winfrey speak on behalf of Kamala Harris at the 2024 Democratic Convention in Chicago. You may also remember Oprah Winfrey endorsing Barack Obama in his 2008 presidential campaign. "I have found the answer. It is the same question that our nation is asking. Are you the one? Are you the one? I’m here to tell you, Iowa: he is the one, He is the one. Barack Obama!” Fact is—...

Getting ready for the next presidential debate – Donald Trump versus Kamala Harris – on September 10? Here's a type of question which, is history is any guide, probably won't be asked "How can you or any president, whoever is elected next time, keep that pledge without running this country deeper into debt and passing on more of the bills that we're running up to our children?" That was Bob Schief...

History was recently made in Congress. For the first time, a member addressed colleagues on the floor – using Artificial Intelligence. From July 25, 2024, here’s Democrat from Virginia – Jennifer Wexton: I hope I can be a voice, even an AI voice, for Americans facing accessibility challenges and other disabilities because, too often, people only see us for that disability. In truth, we are so much...

For political history lovers, this August has been something special. What happened in the 2024 presidential campaign this month won’t soon be forgotten. But we also remember what happened in August 50 years ago. Richard Nixon’s resignation as president – and Gerald Ford becoming president. This week’s episode of C-SPAN’s podcast “The Weekly” is all about Gerald Ford. And his two big public appear...

Vice presidential candidates and the National Guard That’s the topic of this week’s C-SPAN podcast “The Weekly.” So, we’re talking about Tim Walz, right? Nope. Dan Quayle. "Since 1980, I've been a United States Senator from Indiana - and very proud of it. Before that, I was a member of the United States House of Representatives -- and proud of it. And as a young man I served six years in the Natio...

We’re in the midst of convention season! C-SPAN recently brought you live gavel-to-gavel coverage of the Republican convention. Soon we’ll do the same for the Democratic convention. Which means it’s the perfect time to think about – Jimmy Carter. "My name is Jimmy Carter, and I'm running for President. It's been a long time since I said those words the first time, and now I've come here after seei...

Something seismic just happened in professional baseball. For over half a century, records from the Negro Leagues had been kept separate from Major League Baseball. In May 2024, MLB announced that statistics from the Negro Leagues would now be incorporated into the record books. Inspired by the long overdue correction, C-SPAN's "The Weekly" is incorporating the Negro Leagues into this week's podca...

During the 2024 presidential campaign, we’ve heard a lot about how old the candidates are. How did the last famously “old” president -- Ronald Reagan -- handle the age issue? With jokes! Like this: I remember when George Bush and I took office, January 1981 -- or as another Republican President might have put it: 4 months and 7 years ago. You know, I've waited 125 years to say that. That was Presi...

This summer, C-SPAN is bringing you live, gavel-to-gavel coverage of both the Republican and Democratic party conventions … featuring the presidential nomination acceptance speeches of Joe Biden and Donald Trump … If history is any guide, there will be at least one memorable line or phrase from each speech. Like in 1964: "So let us here tonight, each of us, all of us, rededicate ourselves to keepi...

Every four years, there’s a Republican convention. And every four years, there’s a Democratic convention. And every four years, there’s a Summer Olympics. What happens when you put them all together? You get this: “Delegates and guests, please welcome Olympic gold medalist, gymnast Gabby Douglas to lead us in the pledge of allegiance” That was the 2012 Democratic National Convention. And here’s th...

It's the Fourth of July. Here at C-SPAN Radio, we hope you're enjoying the holiday ...and America's independence. In the mood for hearing patriotic songs? Then you won't want to miss this week's episode of C-SPAN's podcast "The Weekly." Because we're featuring patriotic songs sung by Bob Michel. Elected to the House in 1956, he served as House Republican leader from 1981 until his retirement on Ja...

Presidential debates without studio audiences … 1960 between John F. Kennedy and Richard Nixon … 1976 between Jimmy Carter and Gerald Ford … And now, 2024 … Which means -- before the upcoming CNN debate between Joe Biden and Donald Trump, you won't hear anything like what moderator Jim Lehrer told the audience on October 3 , 2000 … before the debate between Al Gore and George W. Bush: I'm going to...