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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