The Middle American

Politicians and public leaders are known to lie to the general public.  But this past week gives us a glimpse of why we need to keep our guard up heading into November 2024 and beyond.  Whether it's Biden's admonishment of his alleged inability to remember his son's death - proven by the actual transcript, Trump labeling himself as "Honest Don" or Kate Middleton doctoring photos as she mysteriously remains out of public eye, we need discernment to differentiate between truth and falsehoods.  I'll also discuss the advent of mobile sports gambling in North Carolina and why you should see Best Picture winner Oppenheimer if you haven't already.  

The general election campaign kicked off last night with Biden's State of the Union.  We had Palestinian protestors blocking the motorcade's path to the Capitol.  We had hecklers.  We had button confrontations.  We had yelling.  We had scolding of SCOTUS.  We had hyper-partisanship.  And we had frequent discussion of the man who is not to be named, aka "the predecessor."  So how did the speech play out?  I felt as if I was watching an angry old man yelling at me to get off his lawn and more of a campaign speech than a State of the Union.  Others may have viewed it as a fiery and formative candidate fighting back against an aging narrative.  The bigger question is, how did you, the Independents, view it?  Regardless, we have 8 months of this to look forward to, so buckle up.  

Super Tuesday is over and unofficially so is the GOP race for the Presidential nomination.  Haley dropped out, but what does  Super Tuesday tell us about both Trump's and Biden's chances in November?  I'll discuss my experience at a Nikki Haley rally, being on a segment of The Daily Show, and how the candidates I interviewed for the pod performed on Primary Day.  Where do we go from here?  Tune in.  

Matt joins the pod to discuss how he wants to defund stupidity and send intelligence to DC.  The veteran intelligence officer and Fox News commentator shares his views on foreign policy, border control, Chinese aggression and human trafficking - among other topics.   Listen how he plans to win a crowded US House District 13 race.  

Siddhanth joins the pod to discuss his campaign to win the Republican nomination for US House in the crowded District 13 race.  Having worked in accounting since age 9, he has a keen interest in making the government fiscally responsible.  We cover a variety of topics ranging from the economy to national security and how he sets himself apart from the 13 contenders in his race.  

Gene Douglass joins the pod to discuss his campaign for the GOP nomination to compete in US House District 2 in the upcoming general election.  He discusses his history of teaching chemistry, prior campaigns for political office and the things he has learned over the years that has prepared him for this election.  We cover a variety of topics including the economy, immigration, national security, healthcare and protecting constitutional rights along with his thoughts on disaffected unaffiliated voters.  

Becki Allen joins the pod to discuss her campaign for a NC House seat in District 36.  Unlike the other candidates I have conversed with, Becki is not running in a primary and will be the GOP representative during the general election in November.  This discussion focuses on the start of her campaign season, preliminary issues she is focusing on and building a campaign strategy around, and how she plans on connecting with Independents now that she already has secured the Republican nomination.  

Dr. (Col.) Josh McConkey joins the pod to discuss his campaign in the crowded US House District 13 race.  His experience in the military and medicine has given him a unique perspective amongst other candidates as to how to address issues ranging from health care to national security.  We discuss a wide range of issues and why he believes he can emerge from the field on GOP candidates by the end of Super Tuesday.  

Another primary.  Another win for Donald Trump.  However, Nikki Haley is vowing to remain in the race and shows no signs of leaving.  Why?  The answer may be more complex than you think.  Should Trump be concerned with only getting 60% of the vote.  What about the 62% of Independents who voted for Haley?  What does this all mean for down-the-ballot Republican candidates and Trump himself going into November?  

Kenny Xu joins the podcast to discuss his campaign for US House amongst a total of 14 candidates vying for the GOP nomination.  Kenny is a published author and has been a guest with Tucker Carlson and other TV hosts discussing his battles against CRT and DEI policies in public schools and corporations.  We cover those topics and other wide ranging issues of how he separates himself from a crowded GOP field.  

Colonel Alan Swain drops by the podcast to discuss his campaign for the 2nd Congressional District covering Wake Forest, Rolesville, Zebulon, Knightdale, Wendell, Morrisville and parts of Cary and Raleigh.  He is seeking the GOP nomination for US House.  We cover his history from the Clinton and Bush Administrations to being the Chair of the Wake GOP.  We also discuss his view on a variety of issues ranging from foreign policy to public safety.  

I sat down with US House Republican candidate Eric Blankenburg to discuss a wide range of national topics as part of his campaign to get to Capitol Hill.  Hear his position on the economy, infrastructure, healthcare, abortion, immigration, education and how he plans to reach out to Independents for the March 5th primary vote 

Early voting has already begun with the North Carolina primary taking place on March 5th.  I have decided to interview primary candidates from local and statewide elections to help listeners get a better understanding of candidates before heading to the ballot box.  For those outside of North Carolina, it's a good opportunity to listen to candidates discuss issues that likely apply to your states/districts.

Today, I have a conversation with Scott Lassiter, a Republican candidate running for the NC Senate District 13 covering various parts of Wake County, including Apex, Holly Springs, Fuquay Varina, Garner, Knightdale and Raleigh.  

"My memory is fine."  President Biden angrily responded to reporters yesterday with this statement following a damning report from Special Counsel Hur that opted not to pursue charges for mishandling of classified documents but caused significant damage to the idea that Biden is mentally fit to run for a second term.  We have all seen the issues with our own eyes over these past four years.  There is no way the Democrats can seriously put his name on the ballot in November 2024 at this point.  He needs to drop out of the race.  

A bipartisan bill seeking to address the ongoing immigration crisis at our border failed to get out of the Senate and was already dead if it went to the House.  Trump came out against it.  The Republican Senator who led negotiations for it was censured by his own party.  And we are left once again with no response to the crisis.  I will discuss how this bill is illustrative of the great divide between the two major parties and how any attempt at the dirty word of "compromise" is met with political condemnation.  And, there's a big football game being played by Taylor Swift's boyfriend and Mr. Irrelevant.  

We are on the verge of a constitutional crisis in Eagle Pass, Texas as the Texas National Guard is openly facing off with US Border Patrol in an effort to secure the border.  How did we get here?  And what is the Biden Administration doing when it comes to the southern border?  Super Tuesday is just over a month away and registered Unaffiliated voters continue to surge past their Democrat and Republican counterparts.  And Alyssa Milano wants you to pay for her son's baseball trip.  

Trump won New Hampshire and Haley did not come within single digits meaning the odds of her winning South Carolina a month from now are slim to none.  Trump has essentially won the GOP nomination in unprecedented early fashion.  But was does that mean for the general election?  If you are a candidate running for state or local elections, it may not be wise to latch your campaign to the Trump Train if you want to win in November.  I'll discuss why.  

A year ago today, DeSantis was 13% behind Trump in national polling.  On the day he dropped out, he was 55% behind.  A lot can happen in a year, but what really happened?  Clearly the Republican Party officials are trying to unite behind Trump.  But will the actual voters do the same come November?  

We have our first real voting result with the Iowa Caucus taking place yesterday.  Trump took 51% of the vote in the closed caucus - meaning only Republicans could vote in it.  But that also means 49% of registered Republicans wanted someone other than Trump.  Vivek dropped out and endorsed Trump.  Haley and DeSantis are moving on to New Hampshire.  I'll discuss the results along with my meeting with RFK Jr. in Raleigh and his attempt to get onto the North Carolina ballot as an Independent.  

Down to two contenders: DeSantis vs. Haley.  Notably, Trump was not there again.  The debate in Iowa centered around a number of topics, all of which I will cover.  But the candidates largely failed to "punch up" at Trump, rather opting to spar with each other over who lies the most.  Who won?  Will either be able to catch Trump?  Listen in as voters will first cast ballots Monday in Iowa.