TGL 39 | States Rising: Article V and America After the Midterms - Article V Expert Jack McPherson
Podcast: WAC HoustonPublished On: Wed Nov 04 2026
Description: Texas just flipped blue for the first time in a generation — and Jack McPherson says the real lesson isn't about either party. In this episode of The Greater Loop, host Maryanne Maldonado sits down with McPherson, co-founder of the Emerging Leaders Program and development manager at Convention of States, the morning after Texas elected a Democratic senator and governor for the first time in decades. They dig into what actually drove the shift — cost of living, a demand for authenticity over "hot air," and growing skepticism that either party can fix the country's core problems — and why McPherson believes the answer lies outside the ballot box entirely: a constitutional Article V convention. Plus: the case for federal term limits (backed by 88% of Americans across party lines), what a new generation of "statesmen" could look like, and why McPherson teaches his students 2,000 years of Western political thought before ever getting to modern-day Washington.Hosted by Maryanne Maldonado | The Greater Loop — A podcast of the World Affairs Council of Greater HoustonSubscribe for global affairs content that connects the world to your world.What's CoveredTexas's historic election flip — a Democratic Senate seat and governorship for the first time in a generationWhy McPherson believes voters rewarded candidates who "appeared more just," regardless of partyThe GOP's stalled momentum since the first six months of the Trump administration, and what it signals for 2028Cost of living as the defining issue in Texas politics — and McPherson's doubts about whether policy promises will deliverWhat Convention of States is actually proposing: reducing federal government, imposing term limits, and restraining federal spending through an Article V conventionThe Emerging Leaders Program — a paid, year-long work-study program training the next generation of "new American statesmen"Why McPherson argues that relying on federal elections alone hasn't solved the debt crisis or runaway bureaucracyA 14-week curriculum spanning Plato to Hayek, and what McPherson wants young leaders to take from Western political historyMcPherson's core leadership principle: liberality, or "self-gift," over self-interestAbout Convention of StatesConvention of States is a nationwide organization working to amend the U.S. Constitution through the Article V convention process — a mechanism that allows two-thirds of state legislatures to call a convention without relying on Congress. Its three goals are reducing the size and scope of the federal government, imposing term limits on federal officials, and restraining federal spending. Its Emerging Leaders Program, co-founded by Jack McPherson, trains college students and young professionals through a year-long paid internship combining hands-on policy work with mentorship and coursework in Western political thought. Learn more at COSinternship.com.About the World Affairs Council of Greater HoustonThe World Affairs Council of Greater Houston believes that understanding the world isn't optional, it's essential. For more than 50 years, the Council has brought the diplomats, journalists, experts, and world leaders who shaped global events for honest, unfiltered conversations about what's really happening globally. Learn more at wachouston.org.#TheGreaterLoop #WorldAffairsCouncil #TexasPolitics #ConventionOfStates #ArticleV #CivicEngagement #EmergingLeaders #Houston #Election2026 #AmericanDemocracy
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