“The Cloak Room” is a new podcast from the Washington Examiner hosted by former Ohio Senate Minority Leader Capri S. Cafaro. “The Cloak Room” will capture an oral history from current and former elected officials as they share their real life stories about when government worked and why.
In this episode, Cafaro speaks with former U.S. Rep. Patrick Kennedy, D-R.I. The two discuss life-work balance, entering public service in their twenties, and the humanity of politics that seems to be lacking in the divisive current political climate.
Kennedy also shared his personal struggles with addiction, and how that led to his sponsorship of bipartisan legislation around addiction and treatment, including the Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act of 2008.
He has since founded the Kennedy Forum, which focuses on mental health and advocacy for the treatment of brain diseases.
“The Cloak Room” podcast tells the bipartisan stories of these public servants and provides new members of Congress an opportunity to learn from their predecessors and restore civility to public discourse.
