The Tonic Accord

In this end of the week episode, Drew and Alex touch on the January 6th commission. On Wednesday, the house did vote to approve the commission to look into the chaos at the Capitol, however only 35 House Republicans supported a commission. The rest, including Kevin McCarthy, did not. This meant that 175 Republicans did not support it. Drew and Alex talk about how the GOP seems to want power over truth, why the commission may hurt some GOP members of the house, and why the nation really can’t move on until there is an investigation. Then they touch on Matt Gaetz, who apparently the GOP tent is still big enough for. Last Monday, Joel Greenberg, a friend and colleague of Gaetz, pleaded guilty to multiple federal charges, including sex trafficking. This could be serious for Gaetz as clearly Greenberg is willing to talk and it could implicate the Florida congressman. Both Drew and Alex are shocked that while Liz Cheney has been castigated from the party, a potential pedophile and sex trafficker hasn’t. Is it a big tent? Or one just hellbent on maintaining power?

In this new episode format for the Tonic Accord, Drew and Alex start off by talking about the CDC’s new mask policy that states that vaccinated Americans may take off their mask for a new range of places and activities. Both react to this rapid change and discuss what may happen next. Then, Drew and Alex talk about how the United States, and other rich nations, need to address the global vaccine supply shortages. They mention how the Biden administration is going to send tens of millions of doses around the world instead of push for the removal of intellectual property rights on the vaccines. Finally, they discuss the recent updates on the world’s UFO (or UAP) situation. It seems like the world is slowly starting to accept that UFOs exist; even the Pentagon and other top military organizations have admitted to constantly witnessing this phenomenon. Why are these interactions becoming more frequent? Is the Overton window on the existence of aliens changing? What do these UFOs want?

The recent iteration of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict has hit its second week of escalating tensions and purely tragic violence bin the worst fighting since 2014. Once again, average people are being forgotten in the tragedy as both sides' leaders seem to want violence and national dogma over discussion. In this episode, Drew and Alex try to break down why this is happening, why it is escalating, what can be done, and if there is still any hope for a two state solution. They also dive into how though Israel is using asymmetrical force and this just could backfire. How do you combat a crisis when one side has big guns and western support, but the other side knows that terrorism and violence will just fuel a propaganda network?  The answer: IT IS TOUGH.

In this episode, Drew and Alex look at some of the most pressing issues in Latin America. They catch up on the violent protests in Colombia around a tax reform bill. They also talk about violence against environmentalists in Honduras, and why El Salvador’s young president may be a perfect autocrat in the making. There are some troubling trends in Latin America involving poverty, inequality, and authoritarianism, and they all seem to have stemmed from the pandemic and its uncertainty.

Since the 1970’s, there has always been a Cheney family member in the upper echelon of Republican leadership. That changed today, as Liz Cheney was voted out of her position as the third ranking Republican in the House. This was following her continuous criticism of President Trump and her outspoken rebuttal of the “Big Lie.” Now, it looks like Elise Stefanik, a once moderate Republican from New York, will take her place. In this episode, Drew and Alex look into what is next. They talk about how this is a disturbing trend in the Republican Party in which loyalty supersedes ideology. They wonder how moderates can stay afloat in this post-democratic party. What will future elections look like when the majority of GOP voters think that Biden isn’t a duly elected president. Could Liz Cheney run for president? Or is this the end of the two party system?

After being ranked as a “fully functioning democracy” for most of the last decade, Freedom House, a reputable watchdog for democracy, lists Hungary as a “hybrid regime” meaning it is one step up from being considered “authoritarian”. Hungary now scores worse than Serbia in terms of democratic values. This is worrying because Hungary has been circling the authoritarian drain for years and now its prime minister, Victor Orbán is going further, looking to put public universities into his propaganda network of false information and conspiracies. This is only the latest, and potentially most detrimental step, towards Hungary no longer remaining a democracy. In this episode, Alex looks into why this is truly alarming and why other authoritarians are taking notice. Alex mainly focuses on what the Economist magazine states, “one reason why democracy is in decline around the world is that its enemies keep swapping tips on how to undermine it.

A “wedge issue” is a politically divisive issue, that is usually raised by a candidate for public office in hopes of attracting or alienating an opponent's supporters. Typically, wedge issues have a cultural or populist theme. These can be issues relating to crime, national security, sexuality, abortion or identity. Over the years both parties have used them to get out unlikely or new voters because these issues force people to pick a side. In this episode, Drew and Alex talk about how wedge issues can be problematic because they lack nuance on a given topic and don’t look to change people’s minds. They also look at how the Republican Party has really relied on wedge issues to stay relevant, and it seems to be working. The two discuss some of the most ridiculous wedge issues like masks, vaccine passports, transgender athletes in professional sports, guns, words like ‘communism,’ and Trump himself. Both feel that while wedge issues can help divide and conquer a base, they aren’t good for a healthy society and for open discussion.

Last week, the United States released the 2020 Census, which was the 24th census since 1790. This census not only showed slow population growth, but it also moved several congressional and electoral seats from blue states like California and New York to red and purple states like Texas and Florida. Now there are lawsuits about the accuracy of the census, Democrats just underperformed in a special election in Texas, and critics of this census believe that minorities were undercounted. In this episode, Drew and Alex dive into everything involving this census. They look at what has changed and whether this may be problematic for Biden’s marginal majority. They also look into redistricting and its impact on the electorate. Was the census accurate? Will it change the House and Senate in 2022? Is it a big deal?

Since the pandemic, New York City has struggled. Those who could afford to have left the city, restaurants have been closed, and there has been a wave of crime. In this episode, Alex talks about Andrew Yang and how he has announced his run for Mayor of New York City. Though he has no experience in politics or government, it seems like he may have a shot to win. Alex goes into Yang’s spotty career history, his ambitious plans, and how he came to adopt a very unique and innovative political ideology. It seems like Biden’s presidency is showing that messaging is crucial and sometimes the most progressive agendas can be passed by very non ideological people. Could Yang do the same for NYC?

Jacob Riis was famous for his work “How the Other Half Lives.” It exposed the gritty and impoverished underbelly of New York City during the height of the “Gilded Age”.  He has an interesting quote, “It is a dreary old truth that those who would fight for the poor must fight the poor to do it.” In this episode, Drew and Alex dive into the more broad concept that sometimes the disadvantaged vote against their own interests and preservation. They look at how layers like populism, messaging, identity politics, culture, and fear, all can cause people to elect leaders that aren’t in their own interest. They talk about issues like gun deaths, health care, the New Deal, the Southern Strategy, and more. Can ideology or group dynamics be more important to some than self preservation?