The Ugly Turn in Political Discourse

Former U.S. Senator Jack Danforth joins the Chuck ToddCast for a candid and sweeping conversation about the crisis inside the Republican Party and the decay of American politics. Danforth explains why he’s devoted his later years to trying to rehabilitate the GOP—even as he admits the effort may be futile—and argues that Congress has devolved into a stage for self-promotion rather than a forum for legislating. He and Chuck explore how weak parties coexist with fierce partisan loyalty, how smartphones and grievance politics have poisoned public discourse, and why the joy has drained from public service. Danforth reflects on the GOP’s transformation from the “family party” into one defined by division, how Christians have been pushed into a persecution mindset, and why Trump has inflicted deeper damage on the country than any single figure in U.S. history.

The conversation turns to the future: whether leaders like James Lankford can spark a moral revival within the GOP, what true conservatism should stand for after being hollowed out by MAGA, and why Republican voters deserve a candidate who actually reflects traditional conservative principles. Danforth and Chuck also dig into constitutional reform, the filibuster, the politicization of the judiciary, and Congress’s abdication on major issues like Social Security and Medicare. Ultimately, Danforth makes the case that America must rediscover kindness, character, and a sense of shared identity if it hopes to govern itself the way the founders intended.

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Timeline:

(Timestamps may vary based on advertisements)

00:00 Senator Jack Danforth joins the Chuck ToddCast

01:30 Why he’s focused on rehabilitating the Republican party

02:15 We need to restore the role of congress 

03:15 Congress has become about self-promotion over legislating

04:30 The parties are weak, but partisan loyalty is strong

05:45 What could moderate both parties?

07:45 Rehabilitating the Republican party might be futile

10:00 Politics has become incredibly ugly, aggrieved and bitter

11:00 The joy has left politics

11:30 Republicans were the “family party”, now has ICE breaking them up

12:45 Christians have been whipped up into a persecution complex

14:15 The country hoped Joe Biden would serve as a healer

15:45 Smartphones have warped political discourse (AUDIO ISSUE)

16:30 There has to be a focus on “who we are as a people”

17:00 Trump has caused more damage to U.S. than any other person

18:15 James Lankford could be a leader in moral revival of GOP

20:30 We need to show kindness to people on the other side of the aisle

21:15 We as a people, are not like Donald Trump

22:45 Trump’s governance and style are not conservative 

23:15 Conservatism has lost all meaning in the era of MAGA

25:30 Republican voters need to be offered a truly conservative candidate

26:45 The GOP is now a “strong government” party, not “small government”

27:30 “Our Republican Legacy” is trying to restore traditional GOP

29:00 Does the Republican party stand for anything anymore?

30:30 There are enough shellshocked Americans to get constitutional changes

31:30 Why a constitutional convention would be a bad idea

33:00 The founders trusted us to govern ourselves

34:15 The founders did fear the voter, and added checks to their power

35:45 Money isn’t the same as speech, and it’s corrupted our politics

37:30 Congress must retain the power to tax

39:30 GOP congress has mostly been on vacation and doing TV hits

41:15 Congress is doing nothing to solve the insolvency of social security

42:30 Medicare cuts are coming if congress doesn’t act

44:30 The public learned things during the deliberations over Obamacare

45:30 There is no “perfect bill”, it’s supposed to be a compromise

47:00 Judicial confirmation and judiciary have become politicized

48:30 We have collectively starting thinking of the judiciary as policy making

51:45 If we restored the filibuster for justices, we may never be able to confirm

53:00 Many senators are just automatic no votes against other parties nominees

54:45 What should the filibuster rule be in a perfect world?

56:30 Hope for restoring more traditional conservatives to congress

57:45 What conservative values would you like to see restored?

59:15 High character used to be an asset in politics

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