Centered From Reality

The Storm Before the Storm: Final Midterm Predictions, Inevitable Chaos & Is Democracy Really on the Ballot?

In this pre-midterm episode, Alex breaks down why he thinks U.S. elections are too frequent and unstable, why he thinks Biden is screwed no matter what, and why he thinks people are willing to vote Republican even if the candidates are illequipped for the job. Alex goes around the country making predictions, he focuses on a controversy in Pennsylvania, close races in Wisconisn, troubling numbers in Georgia, and why he thinks Arizona is going to be NUTS. Also, he ponders whether democracy is really on the ballot, whether a new range of misinformation will begin after this cycle, and whether elections will ever be the same again. 

DeSantis Lacks Charisma & Fetterman Lacks Optics

In this short, mid-week episode, Alex discusses his thoughts from a few debates this week that brought some important insights into the state and national political climate. First, he discusses the Florida Gubernatorial debate between Governor Ron DeSantis and Democrat Charlie Crist. Crist is likely to lose and is almost out of campaign money, but he was willing to attack DeSantis on a myriad of issues. Alex notes that DeSantis seems to lack the charisma that made Trump so successful, he also seems less likeable and somewhat “prickly.” Later, Alex discusses the Pennsylvania race for the senate. The debate was between Dr. Mehmet Oz and John Fetterman. Alex notes that while Fetterman is better qualified to be elected and is more educated on policies for the state. However, in the debate he struggled to articulate some of his arguments due to a stroke back in May and this has created an optics problem for the candidate. The race is getting closer than some had hoped. 

Dirty Bombs, Midterm Worries & Kanye’s Dangerous Rhetoric

Alex is finally back. In this episode, he starts by discussing how over the weekend, Russia’s Defense Minister, Sergei Shoigu warned defense officials in France, Turkey, Britain and the United States that Ukraine was preparing a provocation and the use of what he termed a “dirty bomb.” Alex discusses how this could be projection from Russia and Putin and his allies may be looking at a pretext for their own escalation. Later, Alex discusses midterm concerns over voter intimidation and escalating rhetoric. He also notes that it looks like the Democrats have lost their momentum and the Republicans could see a prosperous election season. FiveThirtyEight notes that “Democrats’ chances of holding onto Senate control have fallen from 66-in-100 on Oct. 13 to 55-in-100 today. And Republicans have gone from having a 69-in-100 chance of flipping the House on Oct. 13 to an 80-in-100 chance today.” Finally, Alex discusses the danger of Kanye West’s antisemetic rhetoric. 

The New Right Has Arrived in Italy

In this episode, Alex discusses his four-week “hiatus while he was abroad in Europe. Then he discusses the recent election in Italy in which Giorgia Meloni, the leader of the Brothers of Italy party, became Italy’s Prime Minister. Meloni has ties to Italian fascism, praised Benito Mussolini during her youth, and is against everything ranging from LGBTQ rights to immigration to non-traditional families.  Alex also discusses how the American right has normalized her views and defended her positions as “popular” and “moderate.” There seems to be a global coalition of far-right parties that is transnational and troubling. 

Pointless Finger Pointing in Mississippi, A Monsoon on Steroids in Pakistan & Climate Reparations

In this episode, Alex focuses on climate related issues both in the United States and abroad. He starts by discussing the disasterous scenario in Jackson, Mississippi in which the water is not drinkable and decades of neglect have finally come to the surface. The Guardian writes that “most of the population had already been without drinkable water for more than a month, but flooding last weekend, caused by weeks of rain, further interrupted operations at the city’s beleaguered main water plant. Currently large numbers have nothing come out of their taps, and for those that do, it must be boiled before being consumed.” Alex discusses how Jackson faces systemtic inequality and neglect that can be linked back to a declining tax base and declining infrastructure as wealthy, white residents fled for others areas. 

Next, Alex looks at floods in Pakistan. The floods were the worst on record and impacted 33 million people and devastated large swathes of the country. They have also led to political division, upheaval, and pointless finger pointing. Alex discusses how this is likely going to be a reoccuring problem as climate crises are getting worse and more frequent. 

Finally, Alex discusses the idea of climate reparations. As the climate crisis gets worse, wealthy countries with exploited resources and the ability to adapt will be able to deal with the crisis. However, countries that have been historically colonized or oppressed will see a consistent drop in stability. Foreign Policy writes that there must be a new approach to international relations in dealing with climate change: “climate reparations are better understood as a systemic approach to redistributing resources and changing policies and institutions that have perpetuated harm. Rather than a discrete exchange of money or of apologies for past wrongdoing.” Alex does not completely agree with this concept, but he agrees that there needs to be a new approach that is more equitable. 

Ramblings From Napoli, A Cringe Hunter Biden Movie, Horseshoe Crabs & Biden’s INEFFECTIVE Speech

In this special Sunday episode, Alex reflects on being back in Naples. Then he goes into some interesting facts about how the efficacy of most American drugs is tested from Horseshoe Crab blood. There is a shortage and it is not environmentally sound. Then he talks about Joe Biden’s speech and why he thinks it was accurate in its talking points yet unproductive in its rhetoric. 

Mayhem at Mar-a-Lago & A Report on ”Crimes Against Humanity” in Xinjiang

In this episode, Alex starts by discussing why it may be more difficult for the Trump to keep changing its story involving the classified documents at Mar-a-Lago. This week the Department of Justice released photos of the documents that ruined Trump’s narrative that they were not classified or that he did not know they were. Alex then relates this scandal to the Hillary Clinton one and explains why they could be similar, but have some differences. Alex finishes by discussing how the United Nations has finally released a report on China’s treatment of the Uyghurs in Xinjiang. The report expresses concerns that many people had over two years ago and Alex thinks it may be a little too little, a little too late. 

Busing the border crisis to NY, Lindsay Has LOST IT & the Taliban’s Empty Promises

In this episode, Alex reflects on the death of Mikhail Gorbachev and why he was more popular in the west than in parts of the former Soviet Union. Then he looks at Lindsay Graham and why it seems like he is someone who wants access to power and influence more than anything. He recently said that there will be “riots in the street” if Trump is prosecuted. Some think this is just speculation, but pothers think this is a dangerous thing to say. Later, Alex discusses why Gregg Abbott has bused over 9,000 migrants to New York City and Washington D.C.. He discusses that this is cruel and symbolic, but also may be making a point about our broken immigration system. Finally, Alex discusses the economic issues in Afghanistan a year after the fall of Kabul to the Taliban. 

A Risky Bet on Student Loans & What Happens if the Red Wave Fizzles?

In this episode, Alex discusses why Biden’s announcement that the government will forgive between $10,000 and $20,000 of student loan debt is a risk at best, and an unforced error at worst. Alex is not against combating the high cost of educaiton, but thinks that this decision will not solve the problem at hand; it also may irritate voters who did not attend college. Adam Harris writes that “belatedly canceling some student debt is what a country does when it refuses to support students up front.” Basically, instead of making education a public good, the government is making up for it on the back end. Later in the episode, Alex discusses how there are more signs that the midterms may be better than expected for Democrats. However, he is concerned about what could happen as a result. The Republican media has convinced its base that the midterms will go well, that elections are fradulent, and that Democrats are an existential threat to democracy. There is also rage boiling over. What happens if the red wave fizzles? 

The Assassination of Darya Dugina: the Daughter of a Russian Ultranationalist

In this episode, Alex talks about how the United States may see a four-headed, chaotic vaccination run this fall. As Monkeypox has spread, COVID is changing, and now Polio has been found in sewer water in New York, the country may face a multifacted health crisis in the fall. That is worrying with vaccination rates dropping and children behind on their vaccines. Later, Alex discusses the assassination of Dary Dugina, the daughter of Alexander Dugin. Dugin is a ultranationalist and consider a neofascist who is more extreme than Putin, yet has guided a lot of the nationalist and expansionary rhetoric. The FSB has blamed Ukraine and/or Estonia, while others think it was an internal assassination. Alex worries that this way just justify more Russian aggression in Ukraine.