Podcast Summary: Hold These Truths with Dan Crenshaw Episode: Make Congress Great Again | Yuval Levin
Date: February 28, 2025
Host: Dan Crenshaw
Guest: Dr. Yuval Levin

Overview

In this episode, Congressman Dan Crenshaw welcomes Dr. Yuval Levin, renowned conservative thinker, author, and policy expert, for a wide-ranging discussion focused on restoring and renewing the U.S. Congress and other institutions. They delve into the transformative changes in American politics over the past decades, the failure and reform of institutional incentives, the cultural roots of civic engagement, the dangers of populism, and lessons from the philosophical roots of conservatism and liberalism.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Changes in Congressional Culture and Structure

Timestamps: 01:26–06:37

• Institutional Shifts: Dr. Levin traces the shift away from institutional thinking in Congress, explaining how members increasingly view their roles as performers seeking attention rather than as legislators fulfilling a defined purpose.
  • Quote: "Some members do don't think as legislators, but kind of think like performers who are standing on top of this institution and shouting." (02:23, Levin)
• Party Polarization: The era of consistently tight majorities has resulted in every vote counting more, amplifying the leverage of those who refuse to compromise.
  • Quote: "We've been in that 50/50 moment now for an entire generation... It's very hard for people in power to know what the public wants when every election is 50/50." (03:07, Levin)
• Incentive Structures: Recent trends make it harder to pass significant legislation, as party alignment and public performance outweigh negotiation and bipartisanship.

2. The Nature and Purpose of Institutions

Timestamps: 06:37–11:44

• Definition and Impact: Institutions are groups organized around a purpose, assigning roles that should form character and responsibility. Levin argues their formative power has declined as they become vehicles for personal advancement rather than public service.
  • Quote: "An institution is just a group of people organized around a common purpose... It gives people a role in relation to that purpose." (07:01, Levin)
• Trustee vs. Delegate Model: Crenshaw and Levin stress the Burkean principle that legislators should act as trustees, using judgment rather than merely echoing constituents' demands.
  • Quote: "I tell people I'm a trustee and I'm not a delegate, not a robot." (09:14, Crenshaw)
  • Quote: "[Burke] told his voters, there are gonna be times when you don't agree with me, but if you trust my judgment, you should recognize that that's why you've sent me here." (09:33, Levin)

3. Social Media’s Impact on Institutional Behavior

Timestamps: 11:03–12:53

• Performance Over Governance: The advent of social media allows members to prioritize building their celebrity over legislative work, which reduces incentives for collaborative problem-solving within Congress.

4. Possibilities for Reform

Timestamps: 12:53–19:37

• Committee Empowerment: Levin advocates strengthening the role of committees to restore meaning to legislative work and diminish leadership bottlenecks.
  • Quote: "Letting the authorizing committees control some floor time... so that if a bill gets through committee... it gets floor time whether the leaders want it to or not." (13:53, Levin)
• Budget and Appropriations Overhaul: Discussion of the artificial nature of the current appropriations process and historical context for alternatives. Both agree that restructuring could address inefficiency and encourage real legislative investment.
• Transparency vs. Negotiation: Debate on when cameras help democracy and when they impede necessary negotiations.

5. Constitutional Structure and Its Role

Timestamps: 21:09–24:34

• United by Process: Levin explains that the Constitution’s framework is designed to force negotiation and coalition-building rather than empower narrow majorities, which is critical in a 50/50 nation.
  • Quote: "The Constitution was created to help a diverse country be more unified by forcing competing factions... to deal with each other, to negotiate..." (21:15, Levin)
• Defending the Filibuster: Levin and Crenshaw agree the Senate filibuster is a crucial tool for bipartisanship, forcing majorities to build broader coalitions.

6. Populism, Governance, and Policy Expectations

Timestamps: 24:34–30:15

• Dangers of Populism: Populism—on both the left and right—focuses on appealing to emotions and simplifying complex problems, which often leads to suboptimal or misguided policies.
  • Quote: "Populism is... the art of telling people what they want to hear and... connecting with their feelings as opposed to telling them truth and facts." (24:59, Crenshaw)
• Policy Myths and Budget Reality: Crenshaw voices frustration at policy disinformation and constituent misconceptions about how federal spending works, noting that real budget solutions would require deeply unpopular reforms, particularly to Medicare.

7. Intergenerational Bargaining and Political Will

Timestamps: 31:38–34:44

• Social Security and Medicare Reform: Both note the political difficulty of entitlements reform, citing past bipartisan failures and the need for both parties and generations to negotiate shared sacrifices.
• The Importance of “We”: Levin reemphasizes the need for citizens to treat national challenges as collective responsibilities rather than waiting for top-down solutions.

8. Federal, State, and Local Roles in Governance

Timestamps: 43:03–44:45

• Federalism in Practice: Levin highlights the problems with overlapping authority and grant-based incentives, which dilute accountability at all levels, especially in education and Medicaid administration.

9. Conservatism’s Philosophical Roots

Timestamps: 45:16–48:04; 53:10–56:41

• Process vs. Liberation: Levin argues conservatism prioritizes the preservation of formative institutions (family, religion, education) because they mold people capable of meaningful freedom, in contrast to progressive ideas focused on liberation from supposed institutional oppressions.
  • Quote: "For me, conservatism starts with an assumption about what the human person really is... fallen, is broken, is imperfect, is in need of formation before he can be capable of freedom." (45:39, Levin)
• Burke vs. Paine—The Great Debate: The episode concludes with a summary of the philosophical dispute between Edmund Burke (conservatism, gradual change, tradition) and Thomas Paine (liberalism, radical change, liberation), which laid the foundations for the modern left-right divide.

Notable Quotes and Memorable Moments

• On Congressional Culture: "[Are they] fighting for you or are they fighting for your attention? Right. There's a difference." — Dan Crenshaw (02:56)
• On Institutional Decay: "A university president just becomes a political activist or just a pass through, really." — Yuval Levin (09:06)
• On Social Media: "The question is, are you using it to advance your work as a legislator? ... Or just to build your own personal celebrity." — Yuval Levin (11:54)
• On Budget Realities: "Why can't you guys balance the budget? ... My honest answer... because you don't want us to, right?" — Dan Crenshaw (28:48)
• On Federalism: "American federalism is not layered government. It's parallel governments." — Yuval Levin (43:03)
• On the Nature of Conservatism: "[Conservatism] starts with an assumption that the human person is fallen, is broken... but is capable of freedom with formation." — Yuval Levin (45:39)
• On Historical Roots: "The core left, right. Difference... is a dispute about whether the purpose of politics is to liberate the individual or... to help the individual be formed through tradition." — Yuval Levin (54:21)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• Institutional Changes in Congress: 01:26–06:37
• Nature and Role of Institutions: 06:37–11:44
• Committee and Budget Reform: 12:53–19:37
• Constitutional Design and Filibuster: 21:09–24:34
• Populism and Political Myths: 24:34–30:15
• Entitlement Reform and Political Will: 31:38–34:44
• Federalism and Accountability: 43:03–44:45
• Philosophical Roots of Conservatism: 45:16–48:04, 53:10–56:41

Conclusion

This episode provides an in-depth, candid exploration of why Congress “doesn’t work”—tracing the problem beyond partisan politics to deeper issues of institutional incentive, culture, and philosophical orientation. Levin and Crenshaw urge reforms that restore meaningful work and coalition-building to Congress, foreground civic responsibility, and appreciate the conservative insight that freedom depends on formative institutions. The discussion is intellectually rich, historically grounded, and highly relevant for anyone seeking to understand or improve American government.