{"id":18360,"date":"2025-11-12T16:51:00","date_gmt":"2025-11-12T16:51:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/classicalconversations.com\/podcast\/refining-rhetoric-the-22-year-olds-running-america-ed-corrigan-on-congressional-staff-and-draining-50-state-swamps\/"},"modified":"2025-11-12T16:51:00","modified_gmt":"2025-11-12T16:51:00","slug":"refining-rhetoric-the-22-year-olds-running-america-ed-corrigan-on-congressional-staff-and-draining-50-state-swamps","status":"publish","type":"podcast","link":"https:\/\/classicalconversations.com\/podcast\/refining-rhetoric-the-22-year-olds-running-america-ed-corrigan-on-congressional-staff-and-draining-50-state-swamps\/","title":{"rendered":"Refining Rhetoric: The 22-Year-Olds Running America: Ed Corrigan on Congressional Staff and Draining 50 State Swamps"},"content":{"rendered":"<p class=\"MsoNormal\">What if the people writing our laws aren&#8217;t the ones we elected? The shocking truth about who really runs Washington\u2014and how 22-year-olds shape policy that affects millions. Robert Bortins sits down with Ed Corrigan, President and CEO of the Conservative Partnership Institute, to pull back the curtain on how Washington really works. With over 25 years navigating Capitol Hill and leading the Trump transition team, Ed reveals why this administration hit the ground running while others floundered\u2014and it&#8217;s not what you think. Discover why congressional staffers in their early twenties wield enormous influence over the laws that govern our lives, how the conservative movement is building a &#8220;MAGA bench&#8221; to prevent future administrations from being sabotaged by the swamp, and what it really takes to drain those 50 state swamps across America. Ed explains the critical work of the State Freedom Caucus Network, the Election Integrity Network, and why training the next generation of conservative leaders might be the most important battle happening in D.C. right now. Plus, he shares insider details on the government shutdown, census manipulation affecting congressional representation, and practical advice for young people who want to make a real difference in politics.<\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\">\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\">Resources:<\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\"><a href=\"https:\/\/cpi.org\/\">https:\/\/cpi.org\/<\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\">\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"margin-bottom: 0in;line-height: normal\">  This episode of <em>Refining Rhetoric<\/em> is sponsored by:<\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"margin-bottom: 0in;line-height: normal\"> CC Graduate Certificate in Classical Studies<\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"margin-bottom: 0in;line-height: normal\">  Classical Conversations is excited to announce the launch of our new accredited Graduate Certificate in Classical Studies, a 12-credit hour program designed specifically for homeschooling parents who want to deepen their understanding of classical Christian  education. This graduate certificate program provides academic recognition for your  dedication to classical learning while offering a pathway to advanced study through our  partnership with Southeastern University.<\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"margin-bottom: 0in;line-height: normal\">  \u00a0Register today to secure your spot in this transformative educational experience.<\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\"><a href=\"https:\/\/ics.regfox.com\/ma-certificate\"> <a href=\"https:\/\/ics.regfox.com\/ma-certificate\" rel=\"nofollow\">https:\/\/ics.regfox.com\/ma-certificate<\/a><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":18361,"template":"","podcast_cats":[3305],"class_list":["post-18360","podcast","type-podcast","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","podcast_cats-refining-rhetoric"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v26.4 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Refining Rhetoric: The 22-Year-Olds Running America: Ed Corrigan on Congressional Staff and Draining 50 State Swamps - Classical Conversations<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/classicalconversations.com\/podcast\/refining-rhetoric-the-22-year-olds-running-america-ed-corrigan-on-congressional-staff-and-draining-50-state-swamps\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Refining Rhetoric: The 22-Year-Olds Running America: Ed Corrigan on Congressional Staff and Draining 50 State Swamps - Classical Conversations\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"What if the people writing our laws aren&#039;t the ones we elected? 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