The Mad Centrist

Send us Fan Mail For too long we have been upset over this most recent patch of our shared history. But, we do have a lot to be proud of - and we will be coming back from this! Let me explain to you why you should embrace to 4th of July, despite everything happening now in the United States of America. No notes for this episode, it is all just from the heart. The political podcast for everyone!

Send us Fan Mail We vote for these people?  WHY? And then we do it again. They show us, in detail, why they should not be trusted, and yet we put them right back in office. Corruption isn't exactly new, but it is absolutely new & improved.  Blatant, in your face corruption is getting people votes! Show Notes: The history of corruption:  https://historyrise.com/article/most-corrupt-regimes...

Send us Fan Mail Changes are a foot in the Social Security benefit. Regardless of where you are on your professional journey, you probably need to pay attention to what awaits you at the end of your working career.  In this episode we hit on a few news stories, then dive right in! SHOW NOTES: The Original Social Security episode! https://www.themadcentrist.com/2079783/episodes/16261719-tmc-episode...

Send us Fan Mail Splitting the nation in two is going very well these days. Texas rams through a redistricting effort.  California puts redistricting on the ballot and wins.  Then something happened that brought the Gerrymandering Wars to new heights: Louisiana challenged the Voting Rights Act, and after losing, and losing again on appeal, the Supreme Court heard the case - and this episode was bo...

Send us Fan Mail Defense Production and War Powers.  What do they have to do with the economy and Spirit Airlines?  And honestly, what are they anyway?  That is what this episode is about - along with a bit of coincidental news and events. Join in! Show Notes: Pope Leo sets a Trump Trap? https://www.thedailybeast.com/pope-leo-launches-scarcely-concealed-attack-on-donald-trump-prompting-evelio-menj...

Send us Fan Mail Can you feel the tide shift?  Maybe a little? Ukraine, Orban in Hungary, Georgia, Russia, and now...the USA too? A lot of little things are adding up to big things, and I feel the change happening, join me in this episode as I explain what I am feeling to you! Show Notes: Russian economic news:  https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/markets/putin-finally-admits-russia-s-economy-is-in-tr...

Send us Fan Mail The previous Iran Nuclear Deal was effectively ended by Donald Trump in 2018. But, what was the deal? Why did so many world powers sign on to the deal?  And how did removing the United States of America make it fall apart? Today, the Iran, or Epstein Files, War is now on a pause after threats, a deadline, and more - horrific - threats from the President of America.  Iran provided...

Send us Fan Mail The SAVE Act is all over the news.  Well, various other dumpster fires such as the Epstein Files, or the Epstein Files War - AKA the war in Iran, and gas prices, and... You get the point.  The midterms are coming, and the SAVE Act is being championed by Republicans, who are about to lose BIGLY.  It makes one wonder if the motivations are in the right place. But... do we need to wo...

Send us Fan Mail It is a crazy world!  War, or not War, the PResident calls it was, but Congress doesn't.  What did past presidents call it?  And why does Netanyahu always seem to pop up just before mid-east wars? Iran has been a threat to have nuclear weapons in 3 - 5 years for 34 years now - so, what is the rush? Let's have some fun and explore it all! Show Notes: Trump's Iran pos...

Send us Fan Mail It is entirely possible that we all know what is going to be said at the State of the Union.  Trump will lie, repeatedly, and declare a bunch of things to be true that are complete fabrications.  But the actual State of the Union? Not all unicorns and rainbows.  But what the heck, let's have fun with it! This was recorded before the SotU address, so prediction veracity might...

Send us Fan Mail We have all heard the news talk about a K-Shaped Economy.  What the heck is it though?  How did it happen?  Why has it never happened before - or has it? Learn the answers, and more, in this episode! Show Links: Mortgage delinquency article on Axios: https://www.axios.com/2026/02/10/mortgage-poor-rich-americans   Another Home sales article on CNBC:  https://www.cnbc.com/2026/02/12...

Send us Fan Mail ICE has achieved the lofty status of becoming a curse in the English language .  Call someone an ICE agent, or suggest maybe they should get a job with ICE, and expect a fight.  Rarely in our nation's history has a part of the government reached such a level of loathing.  Perhaps, in jokes, the IRS can rival it, but in reality only Customs and Border Patrol comes close - and...

Send us Fan Mail Davos was a disaster for Trump, and the USA's standing on the world stage.  Something else happened at Davos that didn't get the same amount of press the low-energy, fabricated reality, falsehoods, and mistakes that the Trump speeches did: The Board of Peace.   I think it deserves a bit more time, even if just to make us laugh.  I read the actual Board of Peace charter -...

Send us Fan Mail This episode was one of the most downloaded from the entire collection. For good reason!  MLK, jr is a legend is American history. See the original show notes:  TMC Episode 39 - Paging Doctor King The political podcast for everyone!

Send us Fan Mail The Economy is still in tatters, and the evidence lays it out.  I cover some of it, but then move on to the 800-pound illegally invading gorilla in the room - Trump's Venezuela crime spree. Maduro was no saint, but he also was not part of the argument made by Trump to invade.  When Trump kidnapped the President of Venezuela his argument was drugs and imaginary ' Narco-Te...

Send us Fan Mail A very short episode - covering the Farce in Venezuela, the crimes being committed, and why they are crimes, and not part of the "War on Terror." Plus some show notes!  Speaking of which, this week's notes for this show: * Congress' 2001 Authorized Use of Military Force: https://uslawexplained.com/2001_aumf   * Hegseth's takes on Trump... in 2016: https://...

Send us Fan Mail 5 Democrats do something uncharacteristic, but relatively normal - at least if we were in normal times.  These are anything but normal times.  Trump threatens enemies with death, threatens invasions of allies, threatens invasions of neighbors who are not a threat, and loads of money keep pouring into his bank accounts - As Americans try to scrape by, lose jobs, and can no longer a...

Send us Fan Mail I hear it, you probably do too: McConnell's fault, or Biden's.  Maybe even the Supreme Court or Aileen Cannon.  It might be a bit simple to claim any one thing brought about the success of Donald Trump's brand, or kept it going.  However, there are significant bricks that make up the wall of today's world that gave us Trump.  This episode tries to uncover the g...

Send us Fan Mail Have you ever heard the term "Nuclear Option" and wondered what it meant? Me too!  I decided to find out, and put together the normal person's guide to the filibuster, cloture, and the Nuclear Option in the United States Senate - I found some interesting history along the way! Plus, so old news becomes new again...again. Show Notes: The 2 housing market pieces from...

Send us Fan Mail What do you get when the SEC backs off Crypto Currency rules and regulations at the behest of the leader of the Free World? Maybe corruption at a scale never seen before on the planet. How is the ballroom being paid for? How is the military being paid by a donor? Are pardons being sold? Good questions, and no one knows. Jay Sun, Russ Albrecht, Biance, CZ, and the Binance Crypto Cu...

Send us Fan Mail The No Kings rally was a great success.  There has never been a protest this large in American history!  The goal was to raise awareness of the moves being made to consolidate - or simply take - power into an authoritarian executive branch, and to remind everyone America has No Kings. Maybe it had a side effect no one anticipated.  Maybe it made some of the MAGA faithful... questi...

Send us Fan Mail 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: ...

Send us Fan Mail 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: ...

Send us Fan Mail 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 everyon...

Send us Fan Mail 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.  Thi...