Centered From Reality

Vivek Shows He’s Fake, but Might be a Useful Press Secretary for Trump

In this episode, Alex argues that Vivek Ramaswamy reminds him of that student in a Poly Sci 101 class that would argue with the professor no matter what. He spends the episode reacting to a very interesting interview that the Young Turks gave to Vivek. Alex highlights portions of the interview that help listeners understand why Vivek Ramaswamy is not ready to be president but could be good as Donald Trump’s Press Secretary! 

The Rise of Spycraft Regimes, the Qatar Conundrum, Good News in Poland & Jesse Waters Gets More Dangerous

In this episode, Alex starts by recommending a great documentary on the January 6th defendants and plays an atrocious clip of Jesse Waters unable to differentiate Hamas from Palestinians. Alex then delivers good news about a recent election in Poland in which the illiberal Law and Justice Party won the most votes but lost its majority government. The Law and Justice Party wanted to turn the Polish system into a Viktor Orban-esque system so this is good news. Later, Alex talks about the Qatar conundrum — the United States has a flawed but necessary relationship with Qatar but it is becoming more difficult due to Qatari links and funding to numerous terror groups including Hamas. Finally, Alex looks in the rise in global espionage against the United States and how many threats are coming from smaller powers like Egypt. There seems to be a resurgence of smaller countries that are relying on spycraft regimes. 

The GOP House Circus is Devolving into a Circular Firing Squad

In this episode, Alex takes a deep dive into the chaos happening (mainly) on the Republican side of the House of Representatives. Alex discusses what will happen next, why it is not surprising that Jim Jordan could not build a useful coalition, and why he worries that the house will be useless for quite some time because it seems like the Republicans in the house not vehemently hate one another. 

Israel’s New Security Reality, Pepper X Has Arrived, Jim Jordan DENIED Again & Biden’s Inflection Point

In this episode, Alex shares hesitant optimism after learning that Jim Jordan is no longer attempting to be the speaker of the house after a failed third vote. Next, Israel’s defence minister, Yoav Gallant, told a parliamentary group about a three-step plan to establish a “new security reality” involving the war against Hamas and how to treat Gaza. Alex goes through each point and expresses worries that this plan could take years and years and could only backfire. He argues that democracies are still treating the war on terror as if it is a traditional war and this is the wrong way to approach it. Next, Alex gives an analysis of Joe Biden’s address last night from the Oval Office. The speech was important and again highlights Biden’s moral clarity in defending freedom, open societies, and holding autocrats accountable. Finally, a new pepper has passed the Carolina Reaper was the hottest pepper in the world. This pepper is called Pepper X and is 2.7 million on the Scoville Heat Units system. 

A Prisoner’s Dilemma is Brewing in Georgia as Sidney Powell Unleashes the Kraken!

In this episode, Alex gives a brief update on escalating tensions in the Middle East but notes that he will save strong opinions until more information is released. Then, for the remainder of the episode, Alex gives an update into the Fulton Country, Georgia case against Trump that involves him, 17 others, and the 2020 election. Sidney Powell, his insane former lawyer, has pleaded guilty to her involvement in the case and is likely to help prosecutors as part of her plea deal. Alex discusses how this could lead to a cascading turn of events as more defendents could flip. 

The Fog of War Leads to a Mist of Misinformation

In this episode, Alex talks about the embarassing saga that Jim Jordan faces as he tries and fails to get enough votes to be the speaker of the house. Then, for the rest of the episode, Alex looks into how social media’s demand dynamic, political polarization, and the different silos of media ecosystems have created a problematic situation for people that want to understand what is happening in Israel and Gaza. Alex talks about the tragic hospital attack in Gaza, Netanyahu’s existential comments, why self preservation is dangerous, and why the facts don’t matter anymore. 

Emergency Pod: Jim Jordan Embarassed as the US Faces Looming Conflicts & A Shut Down!

In this emergency pod, Alex breaks down the embarassing vote in the House of Representatives in which Jim Jordan could not get enough votes and twenty people in his own party voted no. Alex argues this is the worst time for the house to have no speaker as the country faces a shut down and two wars. 

Progressivism and its Contradictions: the Anti-Anti Hamas Left & Israel Could Face a War on Multiple Fronts

In this episode, Alex starts by going over some updates on the tragic events occurring in Israel and Gaza. Fear and chaos are looming in Gaza as the Israeli government has told over 1.1 million people in Gaza to leave before a likely invasion begins. Alex argues that it is highly unlikely that Gazans would be able to flee the cities and worries that tragedy and destruction is looming. Later, he talks about how some worry that Hezbollah (currently located in Lebanon) is waiting for an invasion into Gaza and then will fight Israel from the north. Alex worries this could be a trap and could also lead to a bigger conflict due to Iranian, Qatari, Syrian, and Iraqi support for Hezbollah. Finally, Alex discusses his growing anger with certain factions of the far-left, progressive left, and intersectional left. There seems to be a segment of the intersectional, progressive left that is anti-Israel to the point that it is buying into Hamas propaganda and is almost defending Hamas. Alex argues that this highlights the contradictions of modern progressivism and is really alarming. 

Ignoring Political Realities Enables Extremists, the Fox News Fallacy, Jim Jordan Can’t Lead & Americans Killed in Israel

In this episode, Alex starts with an update on the growing violence and conflict between Israel and Hamas. Reports show that there are Americans among the hostages, Americans have been killed, and as Israel has escalated its response, Hamas has started killing hostages. Alex also reacts to some of the horrific defenders of Hamas that he has seen on social media. Later, Alex goes into why Jim Jordan would be a dangerous house speaker, and why he doesn’t understand why people like Nancy Mace seem to think he is the best man for the job. For the rest of the episode, Alex goes into David Frum’s 2019 warning — “IF LIBERALS DON’T ENFORCE BORDERS, FASCISTS WILL.” This theme can be related to other issues such as crime as well. Luckily, Democratic leaders, including the president, seem to understand that the rise in crime and border chaos are not just Fox News scare tactics, and it is time to start addressing the elephant in the room. 

The Bed Bug’s 2023 Euro Tour, The Axis of Resistance, Escalation in Gaza & What’s Next With Iran

In this episode, Alex starts by going over what some are calling a bedbug infestation in Paris. Alex goes over whether this infestation is an overreaction, or a problem of travel and globalization. For the rest of the episode, Alex gives updates on the events in Israel and Gaza. Hamas as threatened to start executing hostages as Israel is preparing for what looks like a massive strike or offensive into Gaza. Alex also discusses the Iranian connection to the attacks as it looks like Iran was at least aware and green-lit the attacks.