The Middle American

This episode is the first in a series of conversations with candidates running for Town Council in my town of Holly Springs, North Carolina.  This series will explore why the candidates are running and their visions for one of the fastest growing towns in the state.  Scoop has lived in Holly Springs for 20 years so he's witnessed that growth first hand.  Here him discuss how he plans to handle it, among other topics, if he were to win a seat on Council.  

It's been a difficult week seeing the news unfold out of Israel and Gaza and is a time when we look to our own political leaders for guidance.  Yet, in the House, we have no leadership thanks to infighting amongst Republicans.  In North Carolina, we had 12 Democrats opt to walk out on a vote for a bi-partisan and unopposed Resolution supporting Israel in the face of the terror attack on its country.  And our "brightest and best" on our collegiate campuses appear to be anything but when it comes to protesting the week's events.  

The worst attack on Israeli soil in 50 years occurred over the weekend.  Israel is threatening to wipe out Hamas.  Per the WSJ, Iran funded the attack.  This has the potential to be a major turning point in global politics.  How does America respond?  Before you answer, it's important to understand the contextual history of the conflict in the region.  This episode attempts a brief deep dive into the history of the region, its implications today, and its impact moving forward.  

The US House and NC House both had budget issues with accusations of secret meetings and dealings by Republican leadership.  One resulted in the Speaker being challenged with a Motion to Vacate his position.  The other in having plans for four casinos in North Carolina scrapped.  Oh, and Swifties are apparently into the NFL now as they have placed Travis Kelce on the map.  :) 

Seven candidates took the stage in the Second Republican National Debate in what can be described as "a circus."  The stage needs to be narrowed to three for real substance and differentiation between the candidates to occur.  And someone has to take a stand against Trump.  If not, Trump is going to run away with the nomination.  And if he does, the Republicans will lose again just like they did in 2020 and 2022 - because Independents are not going to show up for Trump in the general election.  

This week I talk about the family values hypocrisy amongst leading GOP women, Raleigh canceling its annual Christmas parade and the phenomenon of Prime Time in Boulder, Colorado.  

22 years ago today, two planes struck the heart of Manhattan, one struck the Pentagon, and another went down in a field due to brave Americans saying "Let's Roll" and protecting the rest of us from further carnage.  2,977 victims died that day - including 343 firefighters, 71 police and 55 active military.  We post "Never Forget" on social media but our lives tell another story.  We were united in those months that followed.  Today, we are divided and its impacted all aspects of our society.  It begs the question, Have We Forgotten?

Have a kid in high school or middle school?  Do they talk much about life and how they see things?  This episode gives them a voice.  I have a conversation with two high school seniors regarding a range of topics, including how COVID impacted their schooling, their job prospects, views on politicians, the links between social media and mental health, and whether their peers are proud to be Americans.  It's a good listen from a demographic that is not often heard from in politics: soon-to-be voters.  Listen alone or with your kids as a conversation starter in your house.  

Mask mandates at colleges.  School districts going remote.  Are we seeing the early return of COVID?  A grad student shoots a staff member dead on UNC's campus creating a lockdown and manhunt during a week of shootings at a football game, parade, and grocery store.  And Eminem tells Vivek to lose it when it comes to singing "Lose Yourself."  

Last night, eight Republican candidates took the stage in Milwaukee for the first national Presidential debates.  One candidate was notably missing from the stage - Donald Trump.  Did it matter?  Was it a mistake for him not to show?  What did these contenders talk about and did any of them make a case for the independent vote?  I discuss my thoughts on the debate and the candidates, including a political newcomer named Vivek. 

The long-awaited Georgia indictment of former President Trump came down this week and its alleging RICO and bringing along 18 of his allies.  WCPSS solved the bus shortage problem by having kids show up to school up to 30 minutes late.  And an unknown guy with a guitar in the woods singing about politicians has shot to the top of the charts in less than a week.  

This week I discuss the migrant crisis sweeping the country, but particularly in NYC.  North Carolina opted to increase its auto insurance rates by 4.5% each year for the next two years as opposed to the 28.4% increase sought for by the NC Rate Bureau.   Just add it to the ever-increasing list of costs without increase in wages.  And finally, I'll discuss an Instagram post by Jamie Foxx and society's increasing tendency to automatically judge, assume and label someone.  

This week I discuss the looming student loan crisis with federal loans needing to be repaid again starting in October and how one candidate has put forth an initial plan to address it.  I also address public schools not being able to address the most basic need: transporting students to school.  And I touch base on the recent lawsuit against Lizzo and how much faith we put into celebrities.  

This week I discuss the notably aging population of our elected officials in Washington DC (the average age of a US Senator is 65 and the oldest in 90!), the General Assembly discussing casinos and gambling in North Carolina, and the controversies that seem to surround our US Women's Soccer team.  

I'm back!  And I've decided to change the format of the podcast.  Rather than discussing one topic from the middle perspective, I've decided to discuss three current event stories each week: (1) national story; (2) local story; and (3) pop culture story.  This week, I discuss the Trump target letter stemming from the January 6th investigation, the hiring of a new superintendent for the largest school district in North Carolina, and the controversy surrounding the "Try That in a Small Town" song from Jason Aldean

The DOJ issued an unprecedented 37-count indictment of former President Trump yesterday in Southern Florida for documents contained at his Mar-a-Lago residence.  This comes on the heels of word from Capitol Hill of President Biden being involved in a $5 million bribery scheme with officials at Burisma, the Ukrainian oil company that his son Hunter served on the Board earning up to $1 million per year.   Trump's support amongst Republicans continues to hold strong.  But what about Independents?  And is there a double standard that is being applied, real or perceived, that is eroding trust in our own institutions?  

The North Carolina General Assembly passed a bill along partisan lines overhauling  abortion requirements.  This weekend, Governor Cooper vetoed the bill.  It now returns to the legislature for a test of the newly-created veto-proof majority.  Will legislators toe party lines as they did with eliminating the need for a permit to purchase a pistol?  Or will there be concessions allowing the veto to stand?  And where do Independents fall on this hyper-partisan issue?  We will discuss in detail both the bill and its ramifications.  

Last week, the North Carolina Supreme Court reversed itself and validated a 2018 law requiring Voter ID stemming from a vote for a Constitutional Amendment on that same issue.  Now registered voters will be required to present a form of identification to vote at future elections, with few exceptions.  I will discuss the ruling, its implications and the arguments against such requirements.  35 states have Voter ID laws in place.  North Carolina just became the newest member.  

Earlier this month in Manhattan, DA Alvin Bragg indicted President Trump on 34 felony counts stemming from a $130,000 hush money payout to a porn star weeks before the 2016 election.  Is this just desserts for the leader of the "Lock Her Up" chants?  Is this a political hit job?  And does this impact independents looking ahead to 2024?  

Killer comes in and shoots down kids and teachers in school.  Thoughts and prayers are offered.  Police are heralded as heroes.  Shouts of banning guns from the Left.  Shouts of upholding the Second Amendment on the Right.  Nothing happens.  The cycle repeats.  Kids getting gunned down in schools rarely happens anywhere else in the world.  Yet we are numb to it here in America.  Why?  Something needs to be done, and it starts with an open discussion of the problem and actual ways to resolve it.