Centered From Reality

In this short, Alex goes piece by piece through Republican Senator Rick Scott’s “11 POINT PLAN TO RESCUE AMERICA.” It is what some have called “the MAGA agenda.” It has seen backlash from some establishment-type Republicans, however, it is a look into what the Trump base may want. Alex goes through each point and gives his insight into why he agrees or disagrees with each part. Some points he agrees with, but the majority seem to reflect that the Republican Party has been swallowed up by the culture war. While Alex admits they finally have a plan, most points seem to virtue signal to the base. Inadvertently, this episode gives listeners a look into Alex’s political views.

In this episode, Alex starts with an analysis and reflection on Biden’s State of the Union Address. He finds that Biden rose to the occasion but it felt less like a state of the union and more like a wish list of everything he wished they had accomplished in the last year. Alex gives the speech a B-. Later, he discusses the special election that occurred on Tuesday, March 1st in Texas. The election saw primaries for the gubernatorial race, the attorney general, and more. Republicans saw a massive turnout that should worry Democrats. Finally, Alex goes piece by piece through Republican Senator Rick Scott’s “11 POINT PLAN TO RESCUE AMERICA.” Some points he agrees with, but the majority seem to reflect that the Republican Party has been swallowed up by the culture war.

Last night, Russia warned residents and civilians in Kyiv to leave. Alex worries this is their last attempt to clear out civilians before they enter a new stage in the invasion. Alex discusses his worries about what may be next. He mentions that Russia has the capability for mass damage and destruction, examples can be seen in what happened in 1999 in the Chechnyan capital of Grozny or the Syrian-Russian bombardment of Aleppo in 2016. Later, he discusses how Chinese state media is balancing a fine line between staying neutral but also supporting Putin as the hero and the U.S. as the aggressor. Finally, Alex goes over how these implications may impact Taiwan.

In this episode, Alex starts with an update on Ukraine and how shocking it is that Russian forces seem unprepared. Then he goes into the Wagner Group, a Russian mercenary group that many call “an arm of the Russian army.” This group has neo-nazi ties, links to civilian torture and violence in Syria and Libya, and is now helping the Russian army in Ukraine. There are recent reports that the Wagner group is helping Russian-backed groups to find and assassinate Volodymyr Zelensky. Finally in the episode, Marjorie Taylor Greene, and other far-right congress members, were spotted at a white nationalist rally in Florida. It is called the America First Political Action Conference and it was formed in 2020 by Nick Fuentes. Fuentes has called Putin “his leader” and has defended Adolf Hitler. Alex defends the right for these people to hold rallies, but calls on the Republicans to condemn Congresswoman Greene. She has raised more money than almost any other congress member and this is telling about where the base is.

In this episode, Alex is excited that Biden chose Ketanji Brown Jackson for the Supreme Court. She is qualified but also will add a needed perspective on the court considering she was a defender and understands the flaws of our criminal justice system. Then, Alex discusses how it looks like an invasion of Kyiv is looming and the Ukrainian government is the first target. Alex looks into what is next, as NATO has activated its Defensive Response Force for the first time. Later, Alex goes into the Flordia bill, HB 1557. It has been called “the Don’t Say Gay Bill” and could really isolate and alienate the LGBTQ+ community. As a civil libertarian, Alex finds this not only problematic but detrimental to a healthy democracy.

In this short episode, Alex goes over how he stayed up watching the disturbing coverage of Russian airstrikes over key locations in Ukraine. At the same time, there were reports of Belarusian and Russian forces striking the border patrol. Since last night, Alex goes over Biden’s address to the nation that just finished. Later, he discusses how Lithuania has declared a state of emergency, and Ukraine has gone into martial law. Biden has promised to defend all NATO allies and Alex worries that this conflict may not stay in Ukraine. Finally, Alex discusses the disturbing and problematic rhetoric that is coming from the populist right (and some on the progressive left). Some media figures and politicians are so busy condemning Biden and their own country, that they are defending the biggest imperial threat to the world right now. Stability in Europe was one of the biggest achievements of the 20th century, Putin is putting that at risk.

In this episode, Alex focuses the entire episode on the recent updates on the Ukraine-Russia crisis where Putin has clearly set his sights on taking Ukraine and has officially invaded. Alex tries to get through all of the partisan media coverage to clarify the threat of what Putin is trying to accomplish. Putin has created a situation where Russia can define the meaning of a sovereign nation. Whoever disagrees, is conspiring against Russia.  Under Putin’s definition of statehood, it leaves room for redefining nationality for nefarious reasons.

 

 In this episode: 

Alex starts by discussing Putin’s speech to Russian television in which he goes unhinged and crosses the rubicon. In his speech, Putin recognizes the independence and sovereignty of the Donetsk People’s Republic and the Luhansk People’s Republic. Alex discusses how this is an effective means for creating a pretext for protecting Russians outside of Russian territory. 

 

Alex tries to respond to the extremes on both sides of America’s media that claim that this is an issue the U.S. should not be involved in. He discusses polling out of Ukraine that shows that the nation is more unified around a national identity than ever before. Putin is trying to foil this. 

 

Alex goes over why diplomacy has failed and why that works in Russia’s favor. Sanctions also may work in the short term, but the true dependent variable in this situation is China.

In this episode, Alex discusses a recent and surprising victory against unreasonable progressivism in San Fransisco. Then he goes over a tactic called the “firehose of falsehood” and why he thinks Putin is using it to cow confusion that could lead the world to a conflict in Ukraine. Finally, the EU is investing in Africa to combat China’s problematic Belt and Road Initiative. 

 

First, according to Politico, “San Francisco voters have recalled three school board members who spurred a parental backlash for pursuing the renaming of schools and other progressive policy changes as classrooms remained empty during the coronavirus pandemic.” Alex discusses how while San Fransisco kids were doing remote learning longer than most other areas, school board members were making ridiculous arguments to change the names of schools, get rid of merit programs, and they even attacked anyone who disagreed with them. These types of policies are fueling the right and probably led to Glenn Younkin’s victory in Virginia.

 

Second, Alex reviews the tactic known as the “firehose of falsehood.” It is a propaganda tactic, mainly used in Russia, in which a large number of messages are “broadcast rapidly, repetitively, and continuously over multiple channels.” Basically, a country’s social media and news are fled with so much disinformation and half-truths, that the populace doesn’t know what to believe and they become complacent. Putin has become infamous for using this strategy to sow discord and Alex worries he is doing the same about the Ukraine crisis. He worries this could lead to conflict because even NATO allies are unsure about what to believe is happening and Putin is just waiting for someone to act.

 

Finally, according to reports from the Economist, “The EU announced a €150bn fund to invest in African infrastructure. The money is intended to offer an alternative to China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).” Alex goes over his paper/own views on the BRI and why it is a disingenuous attempt for the Chinese government to get its foot in the door into the African continent. The BRI is basically a “Chinese Marshall Plan” that has given loans to build infrastructure in many African countries. However, the promise to stimulate the economy hasn’t happened because the program has used Chinese labor and has may put many countries into a debt trap cycle. The EU is providing an alternative.

In this episode, Alex starts with the ridiculous yet concerning revelations about Trump’s eating and flushing of important documents down the toilet. This comes after the National Archives went to Mar-a-Lago to get 15 boxes of government documents. Then Alex discusses the Freedom Convoy in Canada that some think is about vaccines, others think is about freedom, and others think is about extremism and destabilizing the state. Alex finds that this is a complicated issue and the US media has been genuinely covering them. He mentions that COVID has led to worse inequality and many people that couldn’t stay home are angry and lost. He thinks that we need to address the root of why these protests are happening instead of condemning them. Finally, Trump is down in the GOP and Ron DeSantis is closing in on him for 2024 polling. Some are optimistic that the GOP is moving on from Trump, Alex thinks that it is worse. The party doesn’t need Trump, but they still have Trumpism.

In this episode, Alex talks about how Marjorie Taylor Greene’s fear of the mighty Gazpacho means that she has learned nothing from her required trips to the Holocaust museum. Then he discusses how Biden’s popularity has dropped below 40% and many states are (finally) removing mask mandates. Later in the episode, Alex discusses how California’s Congressman, Ro Khanna, may have a way to alleviate the digital divide in the US that has intensified the culture war and may have led to Trumpism. Congressman Khanna basically wants to expand the tech industry into areas that have missed out on the economic boom of the digital age (imagine tech manufacturing in West Virginia or microchips being produced in Iowa). He discusses how this could help make America more independent from China and help alleviate issues in our supply chain. Finally, Alex goes into the local elections in Uttar Pradesh, India, which are the largest in the world. Currently, Prime Minister Modi’s  BJP party has flourished on Hindu nationalism, ethnic division, and law and order. The party is slowly devolving into illiberal policies. This election seems to show some weakening of the BJP in Uttar Pradesh. If the BJP can lose enough seats, it may stop the divisive rhetoric of the BJP.