Listen to the latest episode of Former Member, 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.
Earlier this week, I spoke with 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 talked 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 and is a musician in Paul Hodes and The Blue Buddha Band.1
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.)
17:21 – 21:04: Anything that you regret?
21:05 – 28:48: Serving from the 2006 Democratic wave through the 2010 Tea Party wave.
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 when she ran for President in 2020.)
47:34 – 52:24: Congressional group chats.
52:25 – 56:55: Serving on the National Council on the Arts under Trump.
56:56 – 57:21: Wrap-up.
Note: A few people have told me that these emails are sometimes going into spam folders. If you a) mark the email as “not spam” and b) save bensamuels@substack.com to your contacts, that should address the issue.
If anyone is in Portsmouth, NH on July 26, his band will be performing!
