The Middle American
Do you find yourself to be politically homeless? Do you feel like nobody represents you in Washington or state/local government? Are you tired of rising rhetoric and hyperpartisanship? Are you finding that you are affording less regardless of which party is in power? This podcast is for you.
I am in the middle. I am registered unaffiliated. But we need to do more than simply change our voter registrations. And we certainly cannot afford to completely opt out of politics. We must engage if we want real change.
This podcast is a step towards that change. But real change happens when listeners decide to do more than just listen - when they decide to act. My hope is that listening motivates you to take that step, no matter how small, to make your community better.
Episodes
188 episodes
Rhetoric(al) Questions
Shelly Headen is a Democrat running in a competitive State House district in North Carolina trying to unseat a long-serving Republican. She is a vital component of the North Carolina Democratic Party's efforts to flip the state legislatur...
9/11: 25 Years Later
25 years ago we lost our innoncence. A generation removed from that tragic day requires us to take a look back. We have a duty to remember. We also have a duty to teach and learn.
Conversation with Andrew Dunn: Author of Change Agent: Pat McCrory's Rise, Reckoning & Legacy
Few people understand North Carolina politics better than Charlotte Observer columnist and Carolina Journal reporter Andrew Dunn. His new book covers the career of former Charlotte Mayor and North Carolina Governor Pay McCrory that challe...
Conversation with Nick Sliwinski: Wake Forest Commissioner
Nick moved to North Carolina and found himself immediately involved in a development dispute within his new neighborhood. His pragmatic approach to helping neighbors led them to encourage him to do more within the community. With no prior...
Conversation with Jacob Arthur: Candidate for WCPSS School Board District 7
Jacob, a fellow attorney and father of four, decided in the midst of COVID that he should do something more upon seeing his children struggle with remote learning. He had been involved in state government, but not as an elected official.&...
Conversation with Wesley Warshawer
Being comfortable with the uncomfortable. Wesley Warshawer joins the podcast for a discussion of how he took a significant step in practicing citizenship by stepping outside of his Silicon Valley bubble and moving to Bismarck, North Dakot...
Conversation with Concord Mayor Steve Morris
Steve Morris, mayor of Concord, North Carolina, joins me to discuss his experiences over the past two decades participating in local government. We cover topics addressed in my upcoming book, Our Middle American Life, including:(1)...
The Middle American Reboot
I'm back. I've been writing a book. It's called Our Middle American Life. In the process of writing it, the thesis of the book changed - as did my perspective on politicians, the parties and the political system. We live...
Live and Lie in LA?
The Los Angeles race for Mayor has garnered unprecedented national media coverage with a script worthy of its Hollywood background. An incumbent mayor who has overseen a bungled response to a catastrophic natural disaster. A reality...
The Affordability Crisis: Listener Conversation with Rebekah and Ryan Rose
Rebekah and Ryan are in their 30s. Two young kids. Listen to a wide-ranging discussion of living within your means, trying to save to buy a home, the rising costs impacting thin margins of running a small business, and how one voice...
Rate Rage
Property taxes are going up in Wake County. This is on top of a 2024 tax valuation that saw increases in tax assessed values of over 50%. Homeowners insurance is up 15% over the past two years. Auto insurance up 5%. Duke...
The Affordability Crisis: Listener Conversation with Matt Johns
Matt is a college grad in his mid-40s living in Michigan. He discusses his employment journey from Michigan State to his current job working with Hillsdale College. Matt is now trying to make a living with a girlfriend, two kids and...
The Affordability Crisis
The stock market is hitting all-time highs. But while Wall Street is printing money, Main Street is pinching pennies. 90-day delinquencies on credit cards, student loans and auto loans are at all time highs. Wages are being ou...
Raleigh Attorney Shootings
Yesterday, two attorneys were shot outside the Wake County Courthouse in Raleigh, NC, by a pro se Plaintiff. The parties had just been in court on a civil case involving a local police department and production of body cam footage dating ...
Duggan Drops Out
Mike Duggan, the former Mayor of Detroit, has been running for Governor in Michigan as an independent candidate since December 2024. In January 2026, he was polling within single digits of the lead. Today, he announced his departure...
Cooper Crime Conundrum
The North Carolina Senate race is going to be the most funded and possibly most watched race in the 2026 election cycle. Cooper is up big. Whatley has no record or name recognition to run on. So the GOP's main strategy is to a...
The E-Bike Epidemic
You've probably seen them in your neighborhood or around town - a kid on what seems like a dirt bike driving recklessly in and out of traffic. These are actually known as "e-motos" but marketed as "e-bikes" and legally defined as motorcyc...
White House Correspondents' Dinner Shooting
A gunman breached Secret Service security over the weekend for the third time in less than two years, attempting to take out the President. This time, the event unfolded at the annual White House Correspondent's Dinner. Almost immed...
Trump, Pope Leo & Iran
The war in Iran is now into its 7th week, extending beyond the original 4-6 week timeline forecasted by President Trump at the onset. It remains unclear as to what the US is seeking to accomplish in Iran, largely predicated on mixed messa...
6 Topics for '26: Blurred Reality
We lived through Fake News and Russiagate in 2016. But what we are "seeing" today online pales in comparison. A US warship being bombed. Jim Carrey in Paris. Netanyahu killed in an air strike. Brad Pitt fighting To...
6 Topics for '26: The GOP Civil War
Despite holding both the White House and Congress, the Republican Party is deeply divided heading into the 2026 midterms. MAGA, RINOs and Never Trumpers are all jockeying for control of the party or simply to find a place within it. ...
6 Topics for '26: The Housing Crisis
Back in May 2026, I did an episode called House of Cards: The Looming Housing Crisis. Well, we are in it now. Congress and Trump are both trying to address it. It's the number one issue of local municipalities across the count...
6 Topics for '26: Mayor Mamdani & Democratic Socialism
Zohran Mamdani seemingly came out of nowhere in 2025 to become Mayor of New York City. He's a self-described democratic socialist and his platform illustrates those views. Critics have labeled him a communist or a socialist and warn...
6 Topics for '26: North Carolina Senate Race
The second episode in the series focuses on the race for Thom Tillis's open Senate seat in North Carolina. The race features a popular former Democrat governor versus a likely relative unknown, at least amongst most voters. I am int...
6 Topics for '26: Immigration and ICE
The first in a series of topics I am most interested in heading into 2026. Immigration helped bring Trump back to the White House. But ICE and Border Patrol tactics have eroded that support and trust, with the most recent killings o...