The Mad Centrist
"A sane person to an insane society must appear insane." ― Kurt Vonnegut Jr. Not Mad as in Angry, Mad as in Insane. And in an insane world, the sane are simply Mad. I am The Mad Centrist. You can be too! The Mad Centrist podcast is a middle ground, pragmatic, politically polite, and irreverently independent show. Pulling the rug out from beneath Democrats and Republicans alike, while respecting democrats and republican citizens (the distinction between Party and people is critical!). Amusing anecdotes of the crazy world we find ourselves in, how to maybe get along better, and pull the world back towards sanity, and do so while having some fun!
Episodes
The National Guard is getting some bad press. This is not the National Guard's fault though. The Guard has a long, storied history in America, and this episode shares some of the highlights (and a low light too). It also compares President Trump's use of the National Guard to other Presidents in history.
Spoiler Alert: it doesn't do Trump any favors.
Show Notes:
Starbucks closing: Starbucks Closures Ma...
The data exists, if we want to find it. This is the job of some people. But no one seems to be able to find it. In this episode I present some data that makes me question the stability of the economy. Some of it is uniquely Maddening.
Show Notes:
Cardboard slowdown: Cardboard-Box Demand Is Slumping. Why That’s Bad News for the Economy. - WSJ
(Not) Leaving (for) Las Vegas: An Empty Strip And Fewer Tips: Is Las Vegas ...
Ask an easy question, and sometimes you get a deep thoughtful response.
What killed Charlie Kirk is one of those questions. Not who, but what. This episode is off the cuff and relies on thoughts already recorded in past episodes. Therefore, there are no real show notes - except to say... maybe listen to episode #3 again - or for the first time.
The political podcast for everyone!
Tariff, a hot button issue for sure. In America, we argue - still - over who pays them (Hint: it is not the foreign nation). We complain about how they increase prices. We largely ignore the international consequences - but we better start paying attention.
The International Community is starting to re-align, and it is doing so without America whenever and wherever it can. This is a tremendous unintended consequenc...
In the throes of COVID-19 a movement gained power. A silly on, but still, Q Anon grew unexpectedly.
In hindsight it would be laughable that it ever happened, except for the damage done to our nation, and families and individuals.
Now we have a poor-man's "Q" trying similar tactics when everyone is much wiser, and a pandemic is not keeping us inside in front of screens anymore.
A Substack post of ludicrous ...
Who would have thought we would be here? Camps now across multiple states, and most of the population recognizes them as what they are: concentration camps.
The crazy part is half of the people seem to be OK with concentration camps in the United States of America.
Show Notes:
Scientific American article: Trump’s Massive Deportation Plan Echoes Concentration Camp History | Scientific American
Jeffrey Epstein has a sorted past. Ghislane Maxwell, his partner in crime is serving 20 years for human trafficking and other sex crimes. Both of these notorious people have ties to President Trump from the 1980s to the mid-2000s.
In this episode I put together a pretty comprehensive timeline of events and crimes and how the lives of two of the most notorious pedophiles and human traffickers crossed paths so many tim...
The Trump Administration and the Supreme Court - frienemies?
Trump continues to try to bully law firms, and has some success, and some failures. Why does Trump continue to attack the legal system? How does he get away with it?
For the answer to these questions and more we welcome back Professor Balderas, first amendment lawyer and friend of the show!
No show notes - it is an interview after all!
The political podcast fo...
Sometimes things go another direction, and the perfect opportunity arrives.
I wanted to speak about how I get news sources for some time, and I also thought it would be an injustice to not touch of some of the most important current events. When scheduling conflicts kept a guest off the show, lemonade from lemons!
This week I hit REAL news, inflation, The Supreme Court (or rather, I don't), the Senate's budge...
Juneteenth just passed, so, yeah, I am a bit late. I had mentioned wanting to cover the history of "Woke," and adding Juneteenth seemed perfect, if a few days late.
This is a shorter episode, but very important none the less.
Show notes!
The history of The Choctaw and the Irish: Irish Return an Old Favor, Helping Native Americans Battling the Virus - The New York Times
The Mad Centrist plays off of the famous Kurt Vonnegut quote "A sane man, to an insane world, must appear insane." Recently this seems even more apt.
The world is hitting new levels of insanity, and we must be Mad to be so sane!
Arresting Federal Marshalls? Not able to bring back Abrego Garcia, until of course we are able to - only to make him stand trial for made up charges?
Do I have this right? The largest...
The Episode I promised long ago, in Episode #37. This episode covers the social programs Medicare and Medicaid. Two programs with similar names, but they are very different indeed! Take a listen to see if you feel they are worth our tax dollars, or if maybe you believe they are not.
Before you make up your mind though, listen and learn enough to make that an informed decision.
Show Notes:
This week's episode we have a special guest: Professor, Lawyer, and Journalist Israel Balderas. The conversation is focused on Journalism - an area of expertise where you might be hard pressed to find a better professional to give their opinion.
Even better, when questions about the legal challenges the Trump administration is putting forth come up, Balderas is also an expert in 1st amendment law.
I hope you enj...
A really rare non-political episode - well, not really. It centers on the president, but it is about his mental acuity, and not his politics. To that extent, it really is not political.
This episode asks the question, a question I think many people around the world ask: Is Donald Trump dumb, brilliant, and more of an idiot savant? I go through many situations where a questionable action or decision results in someth...
Thanks to the listeners!
A recap episode, on what has happened, what the show is about, and where we are going. We have covered a lot of ground, but we are just getting started!
Starting it out with a quote.
Finishing with the new tagline:
The political podcast for everyone!
Covering some stories of continued government removing people - sometimes even citizens - from the streets and trying, and succeeding, to deport them.
Then we get to the heart of the show: the SAVE Act. How does it harm voting in America? What is the stated goal, and was it even necessary? What is the REAL goal, and will that be achieved?
Show Notes:
Redux from Last week:
Arizona story: U.S. citizen in Arizona detained...
Taken from the street. Disappearing from an appointment with ICE. Held at the border, or at an airport on your way home. The stories are coming in fast and way too frequent.
The stunning thing is we aren't seeing more outrage.
Let's take a walk back in history and find out why all Americans should be downright furious at people being renditioned by our government - sometimes even sent to a prison in another ...
The President of the United States. Mission #1, choose a cabinet.
The question: does this help fill the swamp or drain it?
This is part 3 of a look into Donald Trump's cabinet choices, and providing information for YOU to decide if this makes Washington D.C. more corrupt, or less corrupt?
Or is the swamp being drained, or filled?
We come to the end. Well, of cabinet members anyway.
Show Notes on the news:
The President of the United States. Mission #1, choose a cabinet.
The question: does this help fill the swamp or drain it?
This is part 2 of a look into Donald Trump's cabinet choices, and providing information for YOU to decide if this makes Washington D.C. more corrupt, or less corrupt?
Or is the swamp being drained, or filled?
Show Notes:
Howard Lutnik's Social Security insanity: Seniors won't complain...
The President of the United States. Mission #1, choose a cabinet.
The question: does this help fill the swamp or drain it?
This is part 1 of a look into Donald Trump's cabinet choices, and providing information for YOU to decide if this makes Washington D.C. more corrupt, or less corrupt?
Or, is the swamp being drained, or filled?
Show Notes:
Forbes article on the most expensive presidential race ever: The Billions...
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