Former Member

Paul Hodes (D-NH): Money, Obamacare, and politicians with a temper

Earlier this week, I spoke with Paul Hodes [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_Hodes], a two-term Democratic Congressman from New Hampshire with one of the more fun introductions on Wikipedia: “an American lawyer, musician, and former U.S. representative.” We spoke about money in politics, the 2008 financial crisis, and working for Marianne Williamson in 2020. (It’s safe to say that he didn’t enjoy it.) He writes “What Does Paul Say” on Substack [https://paulwhodes.substack.com/] and is a musician in Paul Hodes and The Blue Buddha Band [https://www.youtube.com/@paulhodesandthebluebuddhab1286]. Give it a listen! Details below. Topics from my conversation with Paul Hodes * 0:00 – 2:09: Introduction and time in Congress. 2:10 – 14:43: The role of money in politics. (Namely, how members spend most of their time raising money.) * 14:44 – 17:20: Voting on a bill you haven’t read yet. (It’s more common than you think [https://nymag.com/intelligencer/article/republicans-admit-they-didnt-read-their-big-beautiful-bill.html].) * 17:21 – 21:04: Anything that you regret? * 21:05 – 28:48: Serving from the 2006 Democratic wave [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2006_United_States_elections] through the 2010 Tea Party wave [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2010_United_States_elections]. * 28:49 – 35:48: The financial crisis, Obamacare, and their long-lasting impacts on American politics. * 35:49 – 47:33: Some (uncensored) thoughts on Marianne Williamson. (Hodes worked for her [https://www.politico.com/news/2023/03/16/marianne-williamson-abusive-treatment-2020-campaign-staff-00087268] when she ran for President in 2020 [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marianne_Williamson_2020_presidential_campaign].) * 47:34 – 52:24: Congressional group chats. * 52:25 – 56:55: Serving on the National Council on the Arts [https://www.arts.gov/about/leadership-staff/national-council-arts] under Trump. * 56:56 – 57:21: Wrap-up. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit bensamuels.substack.com [https://bensamuels.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_1]

Steve Russell (R-OK): Refugees, waste, and forgiveness

Last week, I spoke with Steve Russell [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steve_Russell_(politician)], a two-term Republican Congressman from Oklahoma who served in the last two years of the Obama presidency and the first two years of the Trump presidency. He’s also the author of We Got Him! [https://www.amazon.com/dp/1451662483], which covers his time in the Army and his role in the capture of Saddam Hussein. (The memoir was just released as an audiobook [https://books.apple.com/us/audiobook/we-got-him-a-memoir-of-the-hunt-and/id1809953151].) Give it a listen! Details below. Topics from my conversation with Steve Russell * 0:00 – 6:14: Introduction, including Steve’s background, service with the Army, and time in Congress. * 6:15 – 17:47: Government waste and inefficiency, and how you actually make government more efficient. * 17:48 – 23:11: How politics changed between 2014 and 2016. * 23:12 – 25:30: Comparing Trump’s first and second terms. * 25:31 – 29:44: Comparing Hillary Clinton’s server scandal [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hillary_Clinton_email_controversy] to Pete Hegseth’s Signal scandal [https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2025/03/trump-administration-accidentally-texted-me-its-war-plans/682151/]. * 29:45 – 32:56: Political forgiveness and admitting that you’re wrong. * 32:57 – 39:52: Anything that you regret from your time in Congress? * 39:53 – 52:12: The politics of refugees in the U.S., and how we get people to care. * 52:13 – 56:34: How quickly the pendulum of politics can swing. * 56:35 – 59:19: The challenges of a commuter Congress, and conclusion. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit bensamuels.substack.com [https://bensamuels.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_1]

Sam Coppersmith (D-AZ): DC, the NFL, and democracy

Listen to the latest episode of Former Member [https://bensamuels.substack.com/podcast], where I talk to former members of Congress—Democrats and Republicans—to get their perspectives on what it was like to serve, and how things are different today vs. when they were around. Yesterday, I spoke with Sam Coppersmith [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sam_Coppersmith], a one-term Democratic Congressman from Arizona who served from 1993 to 1995. He ran for the U.S. Senate in 1994 [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1994_United_States_Senate_election_in_Arizona] in a Republican wave year and lost. Since then, he has stayed connected to politics, has chaired the Democratic Party in Arizona, and—just to keep those of us who are younger humble—runs triathlons [https://liberaldesert.blogspot.com/2025/04/cactus-man-triathlon-2025.html]. Details below. Topics from my conversation with Sam Coppersmith * 0:00 – 2:05: Sam’s background and time in Congress. * 2:06 – 5:54: How the NFL got him elected to the House of Representatives. * 5:55 – 13:12: The Republican Revolution of ’94, and how the axiom that “all politics is local” is dead. * 13:13 – 20:14: Can you get anything done in just one term? (Or, Sam Coppersmith briefly roasting me.) * 20:15 – 23:12: The absurdity (and political opportunity) of tax subsidies for professional sports teams. * 23:13 – 27:50: Members of Congress who are actually doing a good job. * 27:51 – 33:32: The challenge of developing personal relationships in Congress when you’re running in a competitive district. (Flying back and forth to campaign makes it hard to get to know people!) * 33:33 – 37:20: Political realignment from the ’90s to the present. * 37:21 – 44:32: Democracy, its future, and innovation in government. (And, how we vote on too much stuff in the U.S.) * 44:33 – 48:04: What do you miss about Congress? And wrap-up. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit bensamuels.substack.com [https://bensamuels.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_1]

Bob Inglis (R-SC): Climate change, Tea Party, and Trump

This is the latest in my Former Member series, where I talk to former members of Congress—Democrats and Republicans—to get their perspective on what it was like to serve, and how things are different then vs. now. Last week, I spoke with Bob Inglis [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bob_Inglis], a former Republican Congressman from South Carolina who served in two separate stints in Congress: from 1993 to 1999, and again from 2005 to 2011. He isn’t your typical elected Republican—he works on addressing climate change at RepublicEn.org [https://republicen.org/] and endorsed Kamala Harris [https://charlestoncitypaper.com/2024/09/17/inglis-endorses-harris-calling-trump-a-clear-and-present-danger/] in 2024. But he entered Congress with Newt Gingrich and still considers himself a Republican. Give it a listen. Topics from my conversation with Bob Inglis Want a transcript of this conversation? Click the “Transcript” tab towards the top of this page [https://bensamuels.substack.com/p/conversation-with-bob-inglis-south-carolina-former-member]. * 0:00 – 2:05: Introduction, more on RepublicEn.org [https://republicen.org/], and how Republicans are talking about climate change. * 2:06 – 6:45: How climate change is already impacting people across America—housing costs, insurance markets, and more. * 6:46 – 8:34: Serving in Congress in the ’90s, and the rise of Newt Gingrich’s Republican Party. * 8:35 – 11:22: Rise of—and surviving in—the Tea Party [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tea_Party_movement]. * 11:23 – 15:48: Trump getting older, and whether Congressional Republicans really like him. (Spoiler: no, not really. But they’re afraid of losing their jobs.) * 15:49 – 17:09: What we can learn from Billy Tarver, the unluckiest man in South Carolina. * 17:10 – 22:06: Anything you regret from your time as a Republican in Congress? * 22:07 – 25:09: How do you reach people whose “facts” are so disconnected from reality? * 25:10 – 27:04: What do you miss about serving in Congress? * 27:05 – 28:06: Can you still be a Republican at this point if you endorsed Harris? * 28:07 – 32:14: Policy solutions for climate change, and wrap-up. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit bensamuels.substack.com [https://bensamuels.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_1]

Toby Moffett (D-CT): Then vs. Now in Congress

Are things really worse in politics today than they’ve been in the past? Or for whatever reason—because of social media, perhaps—does it just feel worse? To answer that question, I’m speaking with former members of Congress—Democrats and Republicans—to get their perspective on what it was like to serve, and how things are different then vs. now. Yesterday, I spoke with Toby Moffett [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toby_Moffett], a Democrat from Connecticut, a self-described “left liberal,” and a Watergate Baby [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Watergate_Babies] who served from 1975-1983. He’s concerned about money in politics and a profound lack of bipartisanship today. Give it a listen: * 0:00 – 4:50: Introduction and Toby’s background. * 4:51 – 6:05: Comparing Nixon, Reagan, and Trump. * 6:06 – 8:19: Getting elected as a Democrat in 1974. * 8:20 – 15:28: How the Republican Party has changed. * 15:29 – 22:36: How bipartisanship has changed (or, how to make a quick buck at Laurel Park [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laurel_Park_(race_track)]). * 22:37 – 25:35: Working with conservative Republicans like Henry Hyde [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_Hyde] (the staunch abortion opponent). * 25:36 – 33:00: The corrosive impact of money in politics, and how much more pervasive its impact is today. * 33:01 – 35:31: How media and the media landscape have changed. * 35:31 – 38:35: Best member of Congress to work with. * 38:36 – 46:07: What do you miss about serving in Congress? * 46:08 – 47:57: Wrap-up. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit bensamuels.substack.com [https://bensamuels.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_1]