144. You're the Umpire

Jared Nelson and Scott Edburg are joined by Mel Duncan, moderator of the 53rd General Assembly, to walk through the first two chapters of the Rules of Assembly Operations. Chapter 1 covers calling the General Assembly to order, the opening sermon and exhortation, the stated clerk's enrollment report, and the election of the moderator, including nominating speeches, ballots, and clickers. Chapter 2 turns to the moderator's duties: presiding, inviting others to preside, calling the next assembly to order, and the floor privileges of former moderators.  Mel describes the moderator as a servant of the assembly rather than its master. "You're the umpire," he says, and the job is to call balls and strikes. Along the way he talks about why a moderator has to know the docket, how much the stated clerk carries, the unwritten duties that come with the office (study committees and a committee for fasting and prayer among them), and the practical challenges of sound, lighting, microphones, and the kill switch. He also gets into a point of order and the clickers, and closes with gratitude for the PCA.  Questions or comments? Reach out at politymattersfeedback@gmail.com.  Send us Fan Mail (https://www.buzzsprout.com/2215222/fa...) Support the show (https://www.buymeacoffee.com/polityma...) Official Website: politymatters.org (https://www.politymatters.org/)   Support the Show: Buy Me a Coffee (https://buymeacoffee.com/politymatters) Twitter/X: @PolityMatters (  / politymatters  ) Facebook: Polity Matters Page (https://www.google.com/search?q=https...) Scott's Twitter (  / sedburg  ) Jared's Twitter (  / brothernelson  ) Ben's Twitter (  / _benratliff  )