Ed Helms

He's just passing the word along. Don't worry, y'all. That little poisoning snafu, that won't happen again. To add one more olive to this already extremely dirty martini of a career, I bet you can guess what Duran did when liquor became legal again. He became a lobbyist for the country's biggest distillers. And he set out to fight against government regulation of alcohol. God damn.

He's just passing the word along. Don't worry, y'all. That little poisoning snafu, that won't happen again. To add one more olive to this already extremely dirty martini of a career, I bet you can guess what Duran did when liquor became legal again. He became a lobbyist for the country's biggest distillers. And he set out to fight against government regulation of alcohol. God damn.

I mean, you remember his wife was a member of the Women's Christian Temperance Union. She was the one who wrote that book saying it was bad to even cook with alcohol. I'm dying to know what she thought when old Honey Bun turned around and started chilling for big liquor. And he wasn't the only one. Which brings us for one last time back to Mabel Walker Willebrandt.

I mean, you remember his wife was a member of the Women's Christian Temperance Union. She was the one who wrote that book saying it was bad to even cook with alcohol. I'm dying to know what she thought when old Honey Bun turned around and started chilling for big liquor. And he wasn't the only one. Which brings us for one last time back to Mabel Walker Willebrandt.

We left her falling off the tightrope in Washington. But let's just say she was also able to make a nice soft landing because, as Terry Winter says... When Prohibition ended, she went to work for a wine company. It's like... Yeah, these people. In fact, what makes it even crazier is that Mabel started working for this wine company before Prohibition ended.

We left her falling off the tightrope in Washington. But let's just say she was also able to make a nice soft landing because, as Terry Winter says... When Prohibition ended, she went to work for a wine company. It's like... Yeah, these people. In fact, what makes it even crazier is that Mabel started working for this wine company before Prohibition ended.

I mean, does anyone, anyone have a single atom of genuine conviction? It's just all so cynical. Not that Mabel made that her life's work either. She kept climbing from position to position. Eventually, she became a lawyer for two other interesting industries, the airlines and, oh wait, what's this? The movies. Hey, that's what I do.

I mean, does anyone, anyone have a single atom of genuine conviction? It's just all so cynical. Not that Mabel made that her life's work either. She kept climbing from position to position. Eventually, she became a lawyer for two other interesting industries, the airlines and, oh wait, what's this? The movies. Hey, that's what I do.

Also, I gotta say, it's a little ironic that of all the people to comment on what went wrong with prohibition, it may have been Mabel herself who put it best.

Also, I gotta say, it's a little ironic that of all the people to comment on what went wrong with prohibition, it may have been Mabel herself who put it best.

Adios, Mabel. It wasn't all your fault. Well, that wasn't not your fault.

Adios, Mabel. It wasn't all your fault. Well, that wasn't not your fault.

It started as a moral crusade, as a minority of hardliners fought to remake American life in their own squeaky clean image. A powerful political lobby turned it into a wedge issue. Congress made it a crime. It was a culture war that made it all the way to the Constitution. Does all of this feel a bit familiar to you? It should, because it's basically the world we still live in today.

It started as a moral crusade, as a minority of hardliners fought to remake American life in their own squeaky clean image. A powerful political lobby turned it into a wedge issue. Congress made it a crime. It was a culture war that made it all the way to the Constitution. Does all of this feel a bit familiar to you? It should, because it's basically the world we still live in today.

Our political system is set up so that certain people benefit from nasty, unending political fights. For starters, take, well, lobbyists.

Our political system is set up so that certain people benefit from nasty, unending political fights. For starters, take, well, lobbyists.

That's my friend Josh Graham-Lynn. He directs a bipartisan anti-corruption organization called Represent Us. And full disclosure, I do some work with them, too.

That's my friend Josh Graham-Lynn. He directs a bipartisan anti-corruption organization called Represent Us. And full disclosure, I do some work with them, too.

Look no further than Mabel Walker-Willibrandt and James Duran to see that this was a huge problem during Prohibition. To hear more about how it's still a problem today, keep an ear out for our bonus episode with Josh, coming very soon. And this revolving door for lobbyists, it's just one of a number of systemic problems in the way our government functions.

Look no further than Mabel Walker-Willibrandt and James Duran to see that this was a huge problem during Prohibition. To hear more about how it's still a problem today, keep an ear out for our bonus episode with Josh, coming very soon. And this revolving door for lobbyists, it's just one of a number of systemic problems in the way our government functions.