Ep. 444 — Justin Amash

The Axe Files with David Axelrod

CNN

News

4.6 • 7.7K Ratings

🗓️ 20 May 2021

⏱️ 68 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Growing up as the son of a Palestinian refugee and a Syrian immigrant, former Rep. Justin Amash developed an early appreciation for the opportunities and freedoms America offered. His views on what power the government should have in limiting those freedoms crystalized after a Google search led him to libertarian thinkers and texts. As a Republican member of Congress following those libertarian principles, Amash sometimes found himself at odds with party leadership and eventually with President Trump. He joined David to talk about the value of immigrants of all backgrounds, how he believes US Congress operates as more of an oligarchy than a democracy, what he respects about Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and why he’s unsettled by what he sees as the media’s lionization of Rep. Liz Cheney.

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Transcript

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0:00.0	And now, from the University of Chicago Institute of Politics and CNN Audio, the Axe Files, with
0:12.5	your host, David Axelrod.
0:19.0	Groucho Marx once said, I wouldn't belong to any club that would have me as a member.
0:24.1	That in a way sums up the attitude and congressional career, a former representative Justin Amash
0:29.2	of Michigan, the principal dogmatic libertarian challenged the leaders of both parties to try
0:34.3	and democratize Congress.
0:36.1	He often stood alone on issues and touched the third rail as a Republican by becoming
0:41.1	an early and outspoken critic of Donald Trump, ultimately voting for Trump's impeachment
0:45.7	and leaving the GOP.
0:47.5	Amash has been a Pritzker Fellow at the University of Chicago's Institute of Politics this spring,
0:52.9	and I sat down with him this week to talk about his life, his immigrant family and their
0:58.5	great American story, his career, the current state of our country and its politics, and of
1:03.7	course, the state of his old party.
1:06.4	But before we get to that conversation, I have a favor to ask.
1:09.3	If you like this podcast, if you like the Axe Files, take a minute, rate us and review
1:14.4	us wherever you get your podcasts.
1:16.3	It will help us expand our audience and reach new people with these conversations.
1:20.7	And now my conversation with Justin Amash.
1:30.9	Justin Amash, it's great to see you.
1:32.8	I got to thank you right off the top for being a stellar Fellow at the University of Chicago
1:39.9	Institute of Politics this.
1:42.5	You've really been a wonderful presence there.
	...

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