Politics and Policy on the Potomac

Ed Goeas, author of bestseller "A Question of Respect"

Mark hosts Ed Goeas, co-author with Celinda Lake of the Wall Street Journal bestselling book A Question of Respect: Bringing Us Together in a Deeply Divided Nation.  Goeas reflected on the root causes of polarization and the loss of trust in America’s political system, drawing on decades of experience as a leading Republican pollster and co-director of the bipartisan Battleground Poll. He shared insights from the book on the dangers of cynicism and toxic incentives in politics, as well as potential paths forward—from reforming social media and cable news to tackling campaign finance and rebuilding respect across divides.

Congressman Buddy Carter (R-GA)

Mark hosts Congressman Buddy Carter (R-GA) on U.S. Energy Policy: Developments from “One Big Beautiful Bill”. Congressman Buddy Carter was a webinar guest in 2023 and frequent attendee of the ACCF’s “Washington’s Last Salon,” a bipartisan forum for public policy discussion. A committed public servant, Rep. Carter previously served as the Mayor of Pooler, Georgia, and in the Georgia General Assembly, where he used three decades of business experience as the owner of Carter’s Pharmacy to make government more efficient and responsive to the people. Congressman Carter is serving his fifth term in the United States House of Representatives and is a member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee and the House Budget Committee. He is a candidate for the U.S. Senate in 2026.

100th Episode: The Honorable Lawrence H. Summers

Mark invites his very first guest back for his 100th episode for A Conversation with the Hon. Lawrence H. Summers about “US Economic Policy: Lessons from the Past for Today and the Future”. Professor Summers was the 71st US Secretary of the Treasury,1999 to 2001; Director of the National Economic Council under President Barack Obama, 2009 to 2010; the 27th President of Harvard, 2001 to 2006; and today the Charles W. Eliot Professor at Harvard. In November 2023, Professor Summers joined the Board of Directors of the artificial intelligence company, OpenAI.

Senator Ron Johnson (R-WI)

Mark hosts Senator Ron Johnson (R-WI) for a Conversation About “One Big Beautiful Bill.” Senator Johnson has called the legislation “immoral and grotesque” due to its projected $2.4 trillion increase in the national deficit over the next decade. How Senator Johnson votes on the bill may very well determine its fate. He has raised concerns about our growing debt with every president, Democrat and Republican alike, since coming to the Senate, beginning with President Obama to the present. Prior to being elected to the US Senate in 2010, Senator Johnson ran a successful manufacturing business in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, for 30 years. From 2015 to 2021, he was Chairman of the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs and remains a member. Senator Johnson currently serves as Ranking Member of the Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations and is also a member of the Senate Budget and Finance Committees.

David Malpass, 13th Chairman of World Bank

Mark hosts A Conversation with David Malpass, the 13th Chairman of the World Bank (2019-2023) about “Economic Policy Today”.  Mr. Malpass served as Under Secretary of the Treasury for International Affairs for President Trump and an economic advisor to candidate Trump during the 2016 presidential election. Earlier, he served as Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for President G.H. Bush, Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Treasury for President Reagan, Director of the Congressional Joint Economic Committee and Chief Economist at Bear Stern, the investment banking firm.