How a British student has schooled the US Congress

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How a British student has schooled the US Congress - Parliament Matters podcast, Episode 58

4 Dec 2024

In this special episode, we dive into the fascinating world of US congressional procedure with Hansard Society member Kacper Surdy, the once-anonymous force behind the influential social media account @ringwiss. Despite being a 20-year-old Durham University student, Kacper has become a go-to authority on Capitol Hill’s intricate rules, earning the admiration of seasoned political insiders. With Donald Trump hinting at bypassing Senate norms to appoint controversial figures to his cabinet, Kacper unravels the high stakes procedural battles shaping Washington.

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Ruth and Mark sat down with Kacper Surdy to explore the remarkable story of how a British student became a trusted commentator on US congressional workings—all without setting foot in Washington, DC. Kacper reveals how his fascination with the 2020 presidential election led him to explore and master the inner workings of the House and Senate. From maintaining a hobbyist’s passion for procedural rabbit holes to fielding inquiries from Capitol Hill insiders, Kacper reflects on his future plans for this unexpected, niche expertise.

He explains the key differences and historical connections between British parliamentary traditions and US congressional rules, offering insights into the House’s meticulous documentation of precedents versus the Senate’s more informal approach. He also explores the potential impact of recess appointments on the balance of power in Washington, decoding the controversial practice that Trump has hinted at using to bypass Senate scrutiny, its historical origins and why it’s a constitutional flashpoint today.

NOTE: This episode was recorded just before Matt Gaetz, Trump’s nominee to be Attorney General, announced he was withdrawing from the post. We’ve left the discussion about this in the recording because it may be relevant to consideration of other nominations in the future.

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Our guest

Kacper Surdy (@ringwiss)

Kacper Surdy is the political and procedural commentator behind the once-anonymous but highly influential social media account @ringwiss. His online commentary focuses primarily on procedures, precedents and practices in the US Congress, often providing advice and insight into complex procedural matters to journalists and parliamentarians on Capitol Hill. He also occasionally comments on parliamentary procedure in the UK. Since his identity was revealed he has been the subject of profile pieces by both Politico and The Times. Kacper is an undergraduate at Durham University studying for an economics degree and he is a member of the Hansard Society.

Transcript

Please note, this transcript is automatically generated. There are consequently minor errors and the text is not formatted according to our style guide. If you wish to reference or cite the transcript copy below, please first check against the audio version above.

Intro: You are listening to Parliament Matters, a Hansard Society production, supported by the Joseph Rowntree Charitable Trust. Learn more at hansardsociety.org.uk/pm.

Ruth Fox: Welcome to Parliament Matters, the podcast about the institution at the heart of our democracy, Parliament itself. I'm Ruth Fox.

Mark D'Arcy: And I'm Mark D'Arcy. In this special episode, we talk to someone who's become a veritable oracle of parliamentary procedure. Not at Westminster, but in Washington. A few years ago an anonymous Twitter feed called @Ringwiss began to comment authoritatively on the work of the U.S. Congress. So good was it that people assumed the person behind it was some veteran congressional staffer informed by decades of experience on Capitol Hill.

Ruth Fox: But no, eventually @ringwiss was revealed to be the product of a 20 year old Durham University student, Kacper Surdy, who also happens to be a Hansard Society member.

With [00:01:00] Donald Trump seeking to bypass the normal procedures to make a series of controversial appointments to his cabinet, we thought we'd talk to Kacper about how it might work and what's at stake. But first, we asked him how he got into this unlikely role as an authoritative commentator on the US Congress.

Kacper Surdy: I really got into the 2020 presidential election. Like many people in the UK, I followed that with some closeness. And after that, I just thought to myself, why don't I take a look at Congress as well? So I started watching the organisation of the House of Representatives and the Senate in January of 2021.

And I was just fascinated by everything that was going on. All the little procedural things that they had to get done, processes that they had to go through.

Ruth Fox: Have you ever been to Washington? Or have you done it all remotely down watching it on C SPAN or something?

Kacper Surdy: Exactly. It's amazing what you can learn from so far away. But hopefully, trip there in the not too distant future. I'd be terrified to [00:02:00] count up how much of my week this takes up, but I do enjoy it. So, in terms of doing it as a hobby, it's absolutely not a problem for me. I love doing it. And, if we get more procedural curiosities for me to look at in the next Congress, it would be great if it does take up more of my time. To be honest. And, I've just never stopped watching.

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