Well Connected

The 2024 Presidential Election concluded with the shocking and commanding victory of President Donald Trump. As a political independent I have examined the exit polls as well as qualitative and quantitative data to better understand these results . Although I'm a registered Independent, I primarily do vote Democrat and would actually like to see Democrats when elections again. There were a series of mistakes and failures by the Democratic Party throughout this election cycle that ultimately lead to them losing not just the Presidency but also the Senate as well. I examine the series of mistake and issues from an educational perspective, so Democrats and can learn and make adjustments.

As a Third Generation HBCU graduate, a Third Generation Masters Degree Holder and someone who attends the Congressional Black Caucus every year, I KNOW THE BLACK ELITE. The Black Elite often are the "Gate Keepers" of the Political commentary of the Black community. The Black Elite, who are comprised of Black college graduates, professionals, journalist, political commentators, entertainers, content creators and people of influence. They may mean well, however they often adopt a very privileged and superior mindset that they are "better" than the rest of the Black community. Because the Black Elite is often academically educated they can think they "know best for black people" or that they're the only ones who can formulate. They'll gaslight, shame, guilt trip and fear monger any Black person that has a differing view or goes against the group think. Many of the Black elite are still surrogates and affiliates of the Democratic Party, meaning they possess and maneuver with a very biased agenda and perspective. Leadership should always be challenged regardless of the Political Party. The Black Elite has adopted the same mindset of the "White Moderate" that Dr.King warned about, they have a habit of telling Black people "this isn't the time" and "don't rock the boat". Compliancy will never bring change.

As a Black registered Independent voter , it seems that the Republican Party does not want actually have Black people join the party. Consistently conservative influencers will share and post subjective race baiting content that lacks academic and journalistic integrity. The mainstream black conservatives often have certain qualities and beliefs that cause them to have dissenting and negative views about the Black community. They often do not offer any solutions, only negative views. I examine and share the many fallacies and strawman arguments that result in pushing away new Black voters. I provide the solutions that the Republican and Conservative movement can take to provide more actual Black outreach.

In 1870 the 15th amendment was passed which gave Black American men the right to vote, despite this law there were many barriers that hindered voting such as poll taxes, literacy test, "grandfather clause" and intimidation. Black Americans would not gain true voting equality until the voting rights act of 1965. In the past 58 years the Black vote has been a large asset for the Democratic party. It's important that we continue to demand tangible policy and legislation for our vote. However in the post Obama years it seems even more that the Black vote is exploited through fear mongering, gas lighting and straw man arguments. In addition many Black celebrities, athletes, musicians, and entertainers are often paid surrogates to sway the Black vote. The Republican party has never tried any true organic Black outreach and many mainstream Black conservatives often have negative and dissenting commentary of the black community. They don't offer any solutions besides "leaving the Democrat Plantation" thus implying somehow the Republican party is also "Not a Plantation" and a better solution. Understanding the historical importance of the Black vote and not being coerced into voting for people who do not have tangible policy or racist history just for the sake of voting. The Black vote needs to be more autonomous and independent.

In todays episode I discuss and analyze the current state of the 2024 primaries for both the Democrat and Republican nominations. Is Joe Biden going to be the Democratic Nominee? Why the DNC should hold debates for Mariane Williamson and Robert F Kennedy Jr. How does the legal issues impact Donald Trump and will he be the Republican nominee? Why has Ron Desantis campaign lost momentum. Why Vivek is an "Industry Plant"? I also discuss Dr Cornel West and the role of third party candidates and the impact on the election.

As a Black American Citizen I have very unique perspective on politics in this country. As a registered Independent I am not a Democrat or Republican. From a balanced and unbiased perspective I examine the issues and exploitation within the Democrat party of the black vote as well as the lack of outreach from the Republican party. From illegal immigration to "BIPOC" alliance there are talking points of the DNC that negatively impact the black community. There are only 62 black members of congress out of 535, we need to come together and demand tangible policy and reject degeneracy and victimhood.

The topic of "Black on Black crime" is controversial and rooted in emotions. There is absolutely gun violence and crime that occurs within the Black community. However every race kills each other at the highest rate and also there's a direct correlation between poverty and violence. One can argue the conditions that occur in the Black community are that of a Culture of Honor which goes back centuries. During this countries creation and in the south there were large amounts of violent crimes and gun violence. This was due to the cultural elements defending ones name and reputation. This goes back to the backlands of Europe. When you have limited resources, high demand and small areas it creates a pattern of violence. I examine from Malcolm Gladwell's "Outliers" which examines Harlen, Kentucky and its surrounding areas and it's pattern of gun violence during the 1880s through the 1900s. This has striking parallels and conceptions to the 'black on black crime" that impacts the black community.

Dr. Tanei Ricks is a scientist with a Ph.D in Chemistry. We talk about his interest in science, stem and most importantly Covid. Dr. Ricks had been publicly following Covid since it became public in the end of 2019. He explains the biology and chemistry of the covid strand, how it impacts the body, the purpose and effectiveness of vaccines, wearing mask and social distancing. We discuss why covid has become politicized and differing views in the science community. He gives a very down to earth yet scientific opinion and commentary. Follow him on twitter at @Dr_TJRICKS

2020 has been a long and emotional year. The (ongoing)Election* has been a large example of the type of emotional polarizing year its been. With Joe Biden as the Projected winner many have celebrated and rejoiced with "Trump out of office". President Trump is currently exploring all of his legal options based off alleged "Voter Fraud". Although the President race was the "main attraction" there were many other races that have large ramifications. Despite most likely losing the Presidency the Republican Party was able to surprisingly pick up a 10 House seats that were projected for the Democrats. In addition the GOP won every seat in which congressional redistricting was up, in fact they picked up 188 seats to Dems 73 seats. Those are important elements that arguably are more important than the Presidency. The election caused a large array of emotions and energy that would cause people to become very judgmental and aggressive. This election was not a "win" for the Black community. It was a "win"for liberals and progressives. Theres much more deeper layers that all get addressed.

I had the privilege of having a great conversation with brother Ed Andretti @RealMalcomEd. Ed is a black holistic wellness coach that specializes in yoga and meditation. Our conversation dives into his journey into wellness, the role of mediation and yoga and the physical and spiritual benefits, nutrition, social activism, education, relationships, power of sexual energy and much more. Being aware and conscious and aware of your actions and energy is key to positive growth. Ed teaches Yoga and meditation in person and virtually, as well as wellness coaching and more. All his information can be found at https://linktr.ee/eddayogi

Over the past several weeks there has been numerous racially charged events that has garnered national attention. From Ahmaud Arbery to Christain Cooper to George Floyd, these instances involved black man having their constitutional rights violated. Each incident has highlighted the various racial disparities and aspects of racism that plagues our country. The George Floyd murder has lead to mass protest and riots across the country. There are many underlying factors that are addessed with protest and the looting. This also has led many people to speak out and hit a subconcious aspect of white acceptance/validation for many. These incidents require communal support with tangible legislation and policy. I discuess all these many components and how we move forward. Make sure you subscribe to my Youtube channel https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCVFJiN0v32D9tzwPZw_1k_g/featured

The past week was very eventful. Two weeks ago it seemed Joe Biden campaign was dead and on the verge of dropping out, however after a surprise win in South Carolina and a dominant performance on Super Tuesday, he is now the front runner. With Mayor Pete, Amy, Mini Mike and now Liz Warren dropping out it’s a two man race between Bernie and Biden. I’ll expand on how the fix was in for Joe Biden weeks ago to take the nomination from Bernie. Rapper Megan the Stallion is in a legal battle with her label over her contract. Seems like another common situation of an artists being taken advantage of and signing a bad contract that overly benefits the label. Nikki Minaj husband was arrested for failing to register as a sex offender. First her brother now her husband you’re judged by the company you keep. NFL draft combine concluded with several players rising up the draft board and things started to heat up with impending free agency.

In today's episode we discuss how emotion can shape our perception and reality. Often when we think with emotion it can sometimes cloud of reality and create a perception based off that emotional reaction. In today's climate of politics many people cannot discuss these issue without some emotional response. The mainstream media and social media are well aware of the emotional drawl of people and often will exploit and manipulate that emotion for their monetary gain. Its important to contain emotion and not comment on certain issues until all the facts are determined. Recently D.Wade now daughter has come out as transgender. Wade and wife Gabby Union have gone on media circuit talking about this transition. People need to understand when you go out your way to make a private matter public with the world that opens the door for public reaction. Boosie had made comments pertaining to this transition. Not saying or agreeing with such comments, however I support free speech and understand once something is made public people are entitled to their opinions, good or bad. Snoop Dogg made some comments about Gayle King following an interview with Lisa Leslie about Kobes death. Don't think either handled it correctly however there needs to be consistency among these journalist when discussing these issues. Especially when somebody like Charlie Rose has been accused of sexual misconduct by over 27 women, yet Gayle said "I stand by my friend" and "theirs two sides to every coin".

In today's episode I overview the Democratic Party and examine various the series of events that will have a domino effect on the party. With President Trumps acquittal in impeachment trials it ends this impeachment rhetoric that the Democratic party has pushed throughout his entire presidency. In my opinion the Democratic party had several miscalculations, fumbled the bag and rushed the impeachment trial due to it being an election year. The democratic primary season has begun with the Iowa Caucus and New Hampshire Primary. The Iowa Caucus was a debacle with issues with reporting votes and the collection process. Mayor Pete did well declaring victory before results released, however Bernie Sanders was the winner. In New Hampshire similar results with a surprise surge from Amy Klobuchar and disappointing finishes from Joe Biden and Elizabeth Warren. Mini Mike Bloomberg has bought the DNC and caused them to sell out to billionaires. With the motto being we have to find the best candidate that can beat specifically beat Trump the DNC has a conundrum. With Bernie Sander surging if he wins the nomination and presidency the DNC becomes a socialist party, which changes the trajectory forever.The DNC needs to learn from the 2016 election stop with the "Russia election" and evaluate Hillary Clintons campaign failures. "Never Trump" needs to learn that talking down and attacking Trump supporters only puts more fuel to the fire and creates more division causing them to unite and vote for Trump. There is a lot of things to evaluate and well see if the DNC gets it together by November.

In today's episode I overview the Democratic Party and examine various the series of events that will have a domino effect on the party. With President Trumps acquittal in impeachment trials it ends this impeachment rhetoric that the Democratic party has pushed throughout his entire presidency. In my opinion the Democratic party had several miscalculations, fumbled the bag and rushed the impeachment trial due to it being an election year. The democratic primary season has begun with the Iowa Caucus and New Hampshire Primary. The Iowa Caucus was a debacle with issues with reporting votes and the collection process. Mayor Pete did well declaring victory before results released, however Bernie Sanders was the winner. In New Hampshire similar results with a surprise surge from Amy Klobuchar and disappointing finishes from Joe Biden and Elizabeth Warren. Mini Mike Bloomberg has bought the DNC and caused them to sell out to billionaires. With the motto being we have to find the best candidate that can beat specifically beat Trump the DNC has a conundrum. With Bernie Sander surging if he wins the nomination and presidency the DNC becomes a socialist party, which changes the trajectory forever.The DNC needs to learn from the 2016 election stop with the "Russia election" and evaluate Hillary Clintons campaign failures. "Never Trump" needs to learn that talking down and attacking Trump supporters only puts more fuel to the fire and creates more division causing them to unite and vote for Trump. There is a lot of things to evaluate and well see if the DNC gets it together by November.

Today's conversation with the Renaissance woman @etherealKia. Kia is a multi talented entrepreneur and published author. She is the creator of "Maiyas Natural" a budding natrual skin and hair care company. "Maiyasnatruals.com" Recently Kia has published two books "I really can do anything" and "It's time for my break". "I really can do anything anything" is an illustrated children's book. "It's time for my break" is a book composed of poems. In life its important to have self accountability and take control of your own life. To often people can have their energy exploited and drained by conscious and unconscious "energy vampires". Within the black community, at least on social media, there often appears to be some type of division or divisive rhetoric such as "gender wars". We discuss if this is an actual real problem in real life or an over dramatized issue on social media only. Reparations is a growing topic among the academic world. The black community has an trillion dollar annual spending power, however 98% of that is spent outside of the community. We discuss if in today's current condition of the black community is ready for the responsibility and financial responsibility of reparations.

In today's episode I have the privilege of interviewing and chopping it up with the man, myth and legend Braxton (@ActualBraxton). As a man of many talents and endeavors we speak about an array of topics and issues going on in today's society. We speak on his debut EP "The Power of Shalem" and the creative process in creating this project. We also speak on the current state of the music industry and how it impacts our society and generation. Our conversation drifts into the state of the black community in which we address the issues of unity, health, history, financial literacy, education and gender divide within the community. As a whole We all we got in terms of communal support and being here for each other. Check out the "Power of Shalem" by Braxton on itunes and all streaming formats.

As anticipated the Democratic controlled House of Representatives voted to impeach President Trump. This has caused a multitude of reaction from celebration to confusion. Its very important to understand that impeachment is a two step process and FAR from over. Donald Trump IS STILL PRESIDENT nothing has changed, he’s not being arrested or removed from office (yet) Mike Pence IS NOT the president either. The next phase of the process moves to the Republican controlled Senate in which a 2/3rd majority vote is needed to remove him from office. This is highly unlikely as it would take a total of 67 (out of 100) Senators to vote to convict and remove Trump. There are 45 Democrat Senators and 53 Republican Senators, plus two Independents who typically vote Democrat. So to reach the 67 total needed to remove Trump, they would need at least 20 Republicans to join with Democrats in voting to remove Trump (plus the two Independents). Based on results with ALL house Republicans voting against impeachment, I’d expect the same party loyalty in the senate, moreless today is historic, however in the end it’s very unlikely Trump gets removed from office and in my opinion, not an endorsement, he most likely gets re-elected in 2020.

We live in a very reactionary based society that often times has an emotional response whenever an event happens. Often people will give some input and voice heard over something before all the facts of such circumstance. In this episode well explore this phenomenon and how recently it occurred within society. From Brother Nature to Jessie Smullet this trend of reacting before the facts is contagious. We talk about current events and sports as well also explore the reaction to singer Lizzo and look into detail of the tragic death of rapper Juice Wrld and its aftermath.

In this weeks Episode we explore the 2019 Democratic Presidential Candidates. Recently candidate Senator Kamala Harris dropped out of the race sparking an array of reaction. There have been a multitude of reaction to why shes polling low and dropping out. Some people have blamed her low polling on race, gender, misinformation, "russian bots" and other various factors. However sometimes candidates just have a weak campaign and in my opinion that's more of what happened here. Harris controversial background and past history in conjunction with strategic flaws and non transparency really hindered her campaign. I expand in detail about this and discuss the remaining candidates and the on going impeachment inquiry.