Centered From Reality

In this episode, Alex reflects on the Supreme Court Decision that overturned Roe v Wade, an almost fifty-year precedent. Alex discusses how this is going to cause chaos and a potential constitutional crisis. In a day, a right that women had for multiple generations has now been stripped away. Alex worries that the pro-life movement has no plan on how to help women during this time and this will just accelerate America’s breakdown into two very separate countries. He also discusses the concurring opinions of Clarence Thomas and Brett Kavanaugh and what they may mean for other privacy decisions.

In this episode, Alex goes over new revelations from the January 6th hearings, how the MAGA base is becoming more involved in deplorable acts of intimidating families, how the U.S. needs to find its sense of humor, and why the SCOTUS made a bad choice on its new concealed carry decision in New York. 

Rusty Bowers, the Arizona Republican Speaker of the State House, testified that he was intimidated and asked to do unconstitutional acts during the 2020 election. He helped certified Joe Biden in Arizona while being a 2020 Trump supporter. While he stood up to the Big Lie and testified to the committee about the dangerous acts of the Trump administration, he has also said that he would vote for Trump over Biden in 2024. Alex ponders this dilemma and why it persists. Alex also discusses how the Trump base is becoming more violent in its rhetoric toward detractors. 

Alex discusses how a sense of humor is necessary for a healthy society and that people need to be able to get offended. He discusses how the term “harmful” has been wrongfully misused. He uses examples from the recent Washington Post controversies, Taylor Lorenz’s reaction to a joke from Matthew Yglesias, and Dave Chappelle’s constant criticism. He notes that the nation has lost its sense of humor and that is not good for its cohesion. 

The Supreme Court of the United States is going to make some controversial decisions over the next week and it has already made one. While the country is waiting on the decision regarding the Mississippi court case that could overturn Roe v Wade, the SCOTUS has already made a radical one regarding concealed carry permits for firearms. SCOTUS overturned a law in New York and now, it will be easier for Americans to concealed carry in a myriad of public spaces in New York. This decision is likely to overturn state regulations regarding concealed carry laws. Alex thinks this is the worst possible decision in a time when Americans are on edge and uncertainty is looming. The Atlantic poses some questions that this new decision has created “Are people carrying guns at schools and shopping malls and public parks? What about at churches and synagogues and mosques? What is it like to pray in places where fellow supplicants are armed?”

In this episode, Alex discusses Colombia’s troubling elections, recession and stagflation worries, Eric Greiten’s new campaign ad glorifying political violence, and the growing threat of white nationalist groups like Patriot Front. 

Colombia’s outgoing president, a moderate named Ivan Duque, has tried to do everything right and has saved the country from economic collapse during the pandemic, however, his popularity was around 20%. Instead, two populists (far left and far right) are the most popular in Colombia for the presidential election. Alex ponders why the populace is so unhappy with Duque even when most indicators show he did a good job 

Alex worries that a recession could be inevitable in the coming year. Goldman Sachs has cut its economic forecast growth reports. Also, Bloomberg notes that “The Goldman team sees a 30% probability of entering a recession over the next year, up from 15% previously, and a 25% conditional probability of entering a recession in the second year if one is avoided in the first. That implies a 48% cumulative probability in the next two years versus 35% previously.” The Federal Reserve has also raised its interest rate by 75 basis points, Alex discusses how the goal of this is to cool off the economy by suppressing demand. Some worry that this may spark a recession and a spike in unemployment. These are symptoms of a malfunctioning economy or “stagflation.” 

Eric Greitens, the former governor of Missouri who had to resign due to assault charges and was accused of abusing his wife and children, has a new ad. This ad has him hunting “RINOS” (Republicans in Name Only). RINOS are Republicans like Liz Cheney that have criticized the MAGA movement and have condemned violent extremism. Alex worries that Greitens is glorifying political violence. However, it looks like he may win his election. 

Last week, 31 men were arrested for attempting to violently riot at a pride event in Idaho. They were members of the white nationalist group Patriot Front. Alex discusses that this group is growing in numbers and has had a national presence since its founding in 2017.

In this episode, Alex starts with his thoughts on Juneteenth. Then he goes over some highlights from the January 6th hearings. He feels that the testimonies from people like William Barr, Ivanka Trump, and Bill Stepien were necessary but too late. These people were cowards who waited too long and still are prospering off of the Trump grift. Alex also discusses how new revelations show that the mob came within 40 feet of Mike Pence and had a plan to kill him. 

In the main part of the episode, Alex gives an update on the war in Ukraine. Russia’s war of attrition seems to be working as Ukrainian forces are being outgunned and are losing morale. Also, NATO’s chief, Secretary-General, Jens Stoltenberg, has warned that the West should prepare for a war that will last years. Alex worries that the fragmented west, along with a collapsing global economy, could lead to a populist/isolationist backlash in places like the US, France, and Germany. He ends by discussing how India, a close ally of Russia, and an enemy of China, should be utilized in helping foster negotiations. The United States should also work to get India off of its dependence on Russian weapons.

Alex is off for the week while on vacation. This is an episode from April 2021 that goes over the impacts of the COVID pandemic and changing work dynamics in mountain towns. 

 

A headline out of the San Francisco Gate Newspaper reads “'Another family losing their home' as SF transplants are displacing Tahoe locals.” This is a trend that is growing in mountain towns across the United States in which remote work has allowed white-collar workers from cities to relocate to rural areas. Now, towns from California to Colorado are seeing surges in transplants that are causing a housing shortage that may kick out locals that work in the tourism industry that are needed to run these local economies. In this episode, Alex discusses how this is just another aspect of the inequalities that COVID-19 has brought to the surface. He also proposes a few solutions such as affordable housing.

In this episode, Alex talks a deep dive into why the United States lacks nuance and perspective, it seems like the public discourse has been filled up with performative anger and misconceptions. He gives some tips of his own on how to listen to others and why it could help us come back from the brink. he also looks into studies that show that both the left and the right have overexaggerated and incorrect views about one another.

In this Memorial Day episode, Alex discusses mandatory or compulsory voting and why he thinks it could help alleviate some of America’s current woes. He thinks that one of the biggest problems in the United States is that a lot of people do not have faith in its elections. It has created a legitimacy crisis that is self-fulfilling. Mandatory voting creates a system where people do not need to register to vote and it is considered their constitutional duty to vote. If they choose not to vote, they must actively deregister or be fined a small fee. Australia is a key example of this system and last week the nation held an election that kicked out the current right-wing prime minister who was considered the “Trump from down under.” Alex discusses how this style of voting could help kick out extreme ideas and figures from the political arena because, in the current state of affairs, the most radical voices in the United States usually get heard. If everyone voted, it would likely moderate politics. Of course, it will be difficult and many Americans would not be fond of the government requiring them to vote.

In this episode, Alex gives his thoughts on the tragic shooting in Uvalde, Texas that left 19 children and two teachers dead. He shares his anger at the frequency of these mass shootings and discusses his perspective on why nothing changes. He also goes into the hypocrisy of many right-wing politicians saying that we must “leave politics out of this.” He also discusses why the “good guys with guns” argument has again proven to not work, how arming teachers is ridiculous, and how this is more than a mental health issue. He thinks that Republicans are widening the goal post involving their defense of firearms because they know they are losing the debate. Later, Alex gives an update on Ukraine and Henry Kissinger’s comments about giving Putin an offramp. He ends with some new worrying news out of Hungary. Apparently, Victor Orban has issued another state of emergency, this time it is about the War in Ukraine. In reality, he is using this emergency to rule by decree and erode more civil rights inside the country.

In this episode, Alex brushes on the fact that there have been 215 "mass shootings" in 2022 alone, the US needs policy not thoughts and prayers. Then discusses Monkeypox and the “Monkeypox paradox” as he calls it. Basically, this disease that is not very transmissible, and has a vaccine, grabbed the world’s attention when it hit the West. However, it has been a problem in Africa for decades and there has been no coverage of it. Finally, Alex focuses the majority of the episode on America’s policy towards China and Taiwan. It is called Strategic Ambiguity. He goes over the history of “the One China Policy”, how the U.S. still sends arms and aid to Taiwan, and why it may be time to move from Strategic Ambiguity to Strategic Clarity. Alex argues that since there is no clarity between the United States and China involving Taiwan, the game of chicken is getting more costly and worrying. He thinks the U.S. must define how they would respond to a Chinese invasion of Taiwan and work towards getting input from Taipei as well.

In this episode, Alex discusses Biden’s new agreement to contain China and move away from neoliberalism. He discusses how “mail-in voting” seems to be okay with Republicans if it is from their side. Then he discusses the idea of “effective altruism” and how someone ran on it in a house primary in Oregon. Effective Altruism could useful in American politics and in helping communities around the world, it focuses on “using evidence and reason to figure out how to benefit others as much as possible, and taking action on that basis.” Finally, Alex worries about the symbolic nature of what “Dark MAGA” may entail. Madison Cawthorn used the term when declaring war on the moderate republicans who likely helped in getting him out of the House. Some may laugh it off, but Alex thinks it is symbolic of an edgier and revenge-filled MAGA mentality that has grown since Trump left office. He discusses how Dark MAGA is growing, he cites the rhetoric of Marjorie Taylor Greene, JD Vance, and others, who have used dangerous and weaponized rhetoric against Democrats, mainly calling them scum, evil, and pedophiles. Alex worries this language could lead to true division and irreconcilable differences.