My History Can Beat Up Your Politics

The 24th amendment banning the payment of poll tax or other tax in order to vote, had a crazy legislative history to get passed. Alexander's Hamilton's House became a central part of the Senate effort. How the poll tax was defended in 1939 in Texas, and how the way it was administered was often worse than any one-time fee.

Also: 3 words to watch in voter ID battles. Why people still paid poll tax even after the amendment passed, and why maybe the 24th didn't need to be passed at all. in this episode a few stories we left out of our previous episode on the 24th Amendment.

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Have we forgotten about George W. Bush and how much today's politics were defined during his administration? Does Congress have any role anymore? Have we reached a point where Congress not only has less power but doesn't want to use what it has? Over the years, federal power has shifted from Congress to the President, with particular acceleration since Reagan and George W. Bush's Presidencies. David Sirota of The Lever Podcast and Master Plan Podcast joins us to talk about this trend and how it is a planned effort with people of both parties involved.

His podcast, Master Plan, is available at: https://podcasts.apple.com/br/podcast/master-plan/id1723377799
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Reagan makes a big reform most see as a good thing. And he made a diplomatic move most see as a very bad thing.
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The political world was shocked in 1987 when a 41-year old developer put an ad in the NY Times. Now it's 2026: he's consistent, sorta. What does it say about today?

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In 1962, A civil rights champion and a civil rights opponent join on one thing - to ban poll taxes. The Court later rules that it applies to fees. What does it mean for today?


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