Can Republicans Win in '24? (Audio: Interview)
Merrill Matthews joins WAVA's Don Kroah to discuss actions Republicans can take to win the 2024 election including the acceptance of early voting and mail in voting.
Republicans Should Be Willing to Vote by Any Means Necessary (Audio: Podcast)
IPI Resident Scholar Dr. Merrill Matthews discusses his recent (6/21/23) piece in The Hill about how Republicans need to stop rejecting early voting, mail-in voting and other means of voting. Let’s make sure they are secure and aren’t open to fraud, but it’s counterproductive and self-defeating to boycott voting methods that are used by your opponents. Parties and candidates need every vote possible in order to win elections. With IPI President Tom Giovanetti.
The Perpetual-Emergency President (Audio: Interview)
On the The Rod Arquette Show, Merrill Matthes explains how President Biden, under the pressure of progressives, has become the perpetual-emergency president to circumvent Congress.
IPI Policy Basics: In Politics, Compromise Is a Virtue, Not a Vice (Audio: Podcast)
IPI President Tom Giovanetti explains at least part of the current dysfunction of Congress, and the dysfunction of the Republican Party, by explaining that while compromise may be a vice in religion, theology and ethics, compromise is the essence of democracy. Compromise is simply negotiation, and negotiation is necessary for self-government. Otherwise, we fall into the biggest concern of the Founders; namely, that a faction gains political power and then rules over their opponents. We see this play out when parties think they can only accomplish things when they control both Congress and the White House until the next midterm election. And we end by reading former Senator Phil Gramm’s recollection of how compromise was necessary for the Reagan agenda to become law and whip inflation, grow the economy, and win the Cold War.
Two Wrongs Don't Make a Right (Audio: Podcast)
Solo today, IPI President Tom Giovanetti talks through the Trump indictment for obstruction of justice and lying to the FBI, explains why this is different than the Biden and Pence document situations, and agrees that Hillary Clinton should also have been indicted. But two wrongs don’t make a right, and letting Trump flaunt the law just because Hillary did would set a terrible precedent and firmly establish a two-tiered justice system.
What's Going On with the Supreme Court? (Audio: Podcast)
Not a review of this term’s cases, but rather using today’s surprising Supreme Court decision on the Alabama districting case, IPI President Tom Giovanetti explains that it is oversimplistic to see the current court as a “6-3 conservative court.” Rather, there are several different judicial approaches and philosophies in the mix, which suggests something more like a 2-4-3 court. And IPI Resident Scholar Dr. Merrill Matthews reminds us that it’s the progressive justices, not the conservatives, who almost always vote as a predictable bloc. And maybe those who so vilified Supreme Court nominee Bret Kavanaugh should think again, since Kavanaugh seems to be less willing than most to be at the vanguard of a conservative agenda. And Tom reminds us of one of his favorite points, namely that the Supreme Court is NOT engaged in a “power grab,” but rather is actually refusing the temptation to make policy from bench and is insisting the Congress actually do its job.
Debt Limit and the Durham Report Fallout (Audio: Interview)
IPI Resident Scholar Merrill Matthews joins WAVA’s Don Kroah Show to discuss the progressives attempt to use the 14th Amendment to address the debt limit. Also discussed is the fallout from the Durham report and its impact on the future of the FBI.
The Durham Report: It Was as Bad as You Thought It Was (Audio: Podcast)
While the Mueller investigation found that there was no collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia, the Durham investigation went into the sources of the allegation, the source of the “Steele Dossier,” and the prejudicial behavior of FBI officials. And yes, it’s every bit as bad as you were afraid it was. IPI Resident Scholar Dr. Merrill Matthews reads excerpts from the report and explains their significance, with IPI President Tom Giovanetti.
What is the Women's Bill of Rights and Why Is it Necessary? (Audio: Podcast)
IPI Director of Development Addie Crimmins and IPI President Tom Giovanetti have a long-awaited conversation about the Women’s Bill of Rights with Carrie Lukas, Vice President of Independent Women’s Voice. The Women’s Bill of Rights clarifies the differences between biological males and biological females and ties the terms “man” and “woman” to biology in an effort to protect spaces carved out for women and to prevent progressives from redefining terms in existing legislation.
Can a Person Run for President from Jail? (Audio: Podcast)
Former President Trump faces at least four legal proceedings of various types that could theoretically result in jail time. While it’s not very likely, it’s worth asking whether a candidate could actually run for president from jail, since Trump’s odds of doing some jail time are greater than zero. IPI Resident Scholar Dr. Merrill Matthews tells us of several times in US history when someone has actually run for president from jail, and with IPI President Tom Giovanetti games out the various scenarios of what would happen if an incarcerated person actually managed to win a presidential election. Again, the odds of this scenario are not very likely, but greater than zero.
Total Records: 258
