Sep 26, 2018
Many Catholics have become cynical about the possibility of
changing the political landscape, but perhaps we’ve given up before
we’ve really tried. It’s not just about electing the right
congressmen and nominating the right justices, it’s about keeping
them accountable.
In this episode, former Virginia delegate Bob Marshall shares
practical insights drawn from his encyclopedic knowledge of the
American political tradition and from his own achievements in
politics: for example, he was behind the Hyde Amendment which
stopped abortion funding via Medicaid. He reminds us that “To
render to Caesar, you have to know the structure of Caesar’s
world.”
Did you know that Congress has the Constitutional authority to
decide what kinds of cases the Supreme Court may hear? What about
the possibility of amending appropriations bills to render SCOTUS
decisions like Obergefell unenforceable? Have you given real
consideration to the fact that local politics is the foundation for
everything else? If not, you’ll want to listen to this episode.
Links
Robert G. Marshall, Reclaiming the Republic: How Christians and
Other Conservatives Can Win Back America https://amzn.to/2xSQxlg
Jeff Mirus’s review of Reclaiming the Republic https://www.catholicculture.org/commentary/otc.cfm?id=1565
Bob Marshall’s recent articles for The Federalist
https://thefederalist.com/author/robertgmarshall/
Msgr. John Sanders, the priest who played with Duke Ellington
https://www.catholicculture.org/commentary/otc.cfm?id=1575
Timestamps
2:41 Bob Marshall’s political career and recent defeat
6:01 Why Bob wrote Reclaiming the Republic; natural law
in the American founding
9:25 Catholics ought not withdraw from politics: Biblical
precedents
13:25 Judicial branch is not the final authority on what is
Constitutional; Congress’s authority to decide what cases the
Supreme Court can hear
23:32 The importance of educating your representatives
26:47 Bob’s role in passing the Hyde Amendment; importance of
the power of the purse
34:13 Appropriations bills can be used to keep bad Supreme Court
decisions from being enforced
36:22 Our representatives avoid voting on the record so we can’t
hold them accountable
39:24 How to get your representative to go on the record
41:03 The oath of office—you can’t fulfill it if you don’t read
the bills you vote on!
44:15 Anti-commandeering laws, by which states can refuse to
enforce federal laws
48:47 Why you should vote in primary elections
50:41 “All politics is local”: issues that affect people’s daily
lives
53:18 The importance of the precinct; door-to-door campaigning
tips
57:45 The role of corporations in promoting immoral policies