https://www.according2sam.comhttps://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!i3Pz!,w_256,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fd0add253-daed-4b1b-bddc-e5eaa66cfeba_400x400.jpeghttps://www.according2sam.comSubstackSun, 13 Sep 2026 20:41:04 GMThttps://www.according2sam.com/p/ignorance-is-blisshttps://www.according2sam.com/p/ignorance-is-blissSat, 12 Sep 2026 03:33:00 GMTIt has been 25 years since the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on the United States—an event that profoundly changed the country and the world. An entire generation is now coming of age that was not yet born when the attacks occurred. Many of these young people have no firsthand memory of that tragic day and may not fully understand what happened, who carried out the attacks, how they were able to do so, or how profoundly the world changed in their aftermath. They may also be unfamiliar with the intelligence and security failures that preceded the attacks, the investigations and controversies that followed, and the far-reaching decisions made by the U.S. government in response. Those decisions—including changes to national security, surveillance, foreign policy, and military strategy—continue to affect their lives today. Why is it important for future generations to understand the history of 9/11 and its aftermath, and what are the risks of allowing that history to fade from public understanding? Join the conversation and get answers to this question and more on According2Sam episode #439.

]]>https://www.according2sam.com/p/capitalismhttps://www.according2sam.com/p/capitalismSat, 05 Sep 2026 03:21:26 GMTFor months, as the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) have challenged establishment Democrats in primaries—and won—we have been told that they are a fringe movement whose ideas do not represent the party as a whole. However, many of the objectives outlined in the DSA platform are also supported by Democrats who are not members of the organization. For example, Kamala Harris and Pete Buttigieg have both expressed support for abolishing the Electoral College. And this week, a video resurfaced in which Texas Democratic Senate nominee James Talarico, described capitalism as an “oppressive system” and he said we need to begin “dismantling” it. Meanwhile, also this week, the House voted to adopt a resolution condemning “socialism in all its forms,” with only eight Democrats joining Republicans in support. Is the DSA’s agenda more mainstream within the Democratic Party than they would have us believe? Join the conversation and get answers to this question and more on According2Sam episode #438.

]]>https://www.according2sam.com/p/upward-mobilityhttps://www.according2sam.com/p/upward-mobilityTue, 01 Sep 2026 03:50:46 GMTDemocratic Congressman Maxwell Frost of Florida was recently featured on Jubilee, the YouTube debate show where one prominent figure debates 20 people with competing ideas and viewpoints. The title of the episode was “1 Gen Z Politician vs. 20 Boomers.” In a clip from the episode that has gone viral, Frost debates a man about the American Dream and whether it is still attainable. The clip gained widespread attention after Frost defined the American Dream as “upward mobility” and argued that it was becoming unattainable. The man he was debating then pointed out that he had personally experienced upward mobility, going from being an Uber driver to serving in the United States Congress. Is the dream of upward mobility still attainable in the United States? Join the conversation and get answers to this question and more on According2Sam episode #437.

]]>https://www.according2sam.com/p/betrayalhttps://www.according2sam.com/p/betrayalSat, 29 Aug 2026 00:07:48 GMTThis week, former MSNBC host Joy Reid criticized Black conservatives, saying they were “betraying” their community. She compared Black conservatives to African tribes that captured other, weaker African tribes and sold them into slavery to the Portuguese. She also compared Black conservatives to slaves who “played ball” on plantations to gain favor with their masters at the expense of other slaves. She specifically mentioned three Black conservative men as examples of people she believes have betrayed their communities: Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, Florida gubernatorial candidate Byron Donalds, and social media influencer Brandon Tatum. Why does Reid believe that these men, and other Black conservatives like them, have betrayed their communities? Join the conversation and get answers to this question and more on According2Sam episode #436.

]]>https://www.according2sam.com/p/strange-fruithttps://www.according2sam.com/p/strange-fruitTue, 25 Aug 2026 01:31:55 GMTA narrative has begun to spread on social media, particularly on TikTok, and is now gaining traction on other platforms as well. The claim is that Black Americans are being “hunted” and lynched, as commentator “Politics Girl” alleged in her video. Several prominent accounts, including children’s creator Ms. Rachel and D.L. Hughley, have repeated or amplified the claim, while many smaller social media accounts have shared it as well. However, no major legacy news outlet appears to have reported a series of lynchings targeting Black Americans. That has not stopped the claims from being widely shared and believed. Why are allegations of widespread lynchings of Black Americans emerging now? And if these claims are true, why has there been no reporting on them by major news organizations? Join the conversation and get answers to this question and more on According2Sam episode #435.

]]>https://www.according2sam.com/p/gentlemans-agreementhttps://www.according2sam.com/p/gentlemans-agreementSat, 22 Aug 2026 03:04:40 GMTKarmelo Anthony, the Frisco, Texas, teen who was accused of fatally stabbing another teen, Austin Metcalf, at a high school track meet in 2025, was back in the news this week. In June, Anthony was convicted and sentenced to 35 years in prison. Since then, a ‘dream team’ of talented lawyers has taken up his defense and is seeking a new trial. The two main arguments for a new trial are that the proceedings were effectively closed to the public because cameras were not allowed in the courtroom and no overflow room was provided. The second argument centers on a “gentleman’s agreement” between the prosecution and defense to keep evidence about both Metcalf’s and Anthony’s character and backgrounds out of the trial. What character evidence about each of the two teens was excluded from the original trial? Join the conversation and get answers to this question and more on According2Sam episode #434.

]]>https://www.according2sam.com/p/straight-shooterhttps://www.according2sam.com/p/straight-shooterTue, 18 Aug 2026 01:15:11 GMTThe Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) is often portrayed as a fringe, extreme movement threatening to take over the Democratic Party. We are told that the DSA’s objectives lie outside the Democratic mainstream. Yet several of its major policy goals are increasingly supported by prominent Democrats, including candidates likely to seek the Democratic presidential nomination in 2028, and who are polling at the top. One example is eliminating the Electoral College—a longstanding DSA goal, along with abolishing the Senate. Which 2028 Democratic presidential candidates have supported abolishing the Electoral College, and how does their support for such a fundamental transformation of the U.S. electoral system demonstrate that DSA positions are more than merely fringe ideas within the Democratic Party? Join the conversation and get answers to these questions and more on According2Sam episode #433.

]]>https://www.according2sam.com/p/george-floyd-2026https://www.according2sam.com/p/george-floyd-2026Sat, 15 Aug 2026 03:01:12 GMTIn May 2020, a cellphone video showing George Floyd being detained by Minneapolis police officers went viral. The video captured the final minutes of Floyd’s life and sparked nationwide demonstrations, which were violent and resulted in billions of dollars in property damage. The demonstrations began in Minneapolis and quickly spread across the country. By May 29, demonstrations had reached Washington, D.C., including Lafayette Square outside the White House. More than 50 U.S. Park Police officers were injured during the unrest, and more than 60 Secret Service personnel were injured. During the protests, President Trump was taken to an underground bunker as a precaution. It was as if President Trump was being blamed for George Floyd’s death, and this became a defining issue of the 2020 election cycle. What parallels exist between the way George Floyd’s tragic death was used politically in 2020 and the way Nolan Wells’s tragic death is being used politically today? Join the conversation and get answers to this question and more on According2Sam episode #432.

]]>https://www.according2sam.com/p/boule-boundhttps://www.according2sam.com/p/boule-boundTue, 11 Aug 2026 00:57:12 GMTSunny Hostin of ‘The View’, born Asunción Cummings, recently went viral after body-camera footage of an encounter her son had with police was released to the public. In the footage, she can be seen and heard attempting to use her influence to prevent her son from being cited for a trespassing violation that he had apparently committed. Many people pointed to the incident as evidence of hypocrisy, arguing that she attempted to wield her access and privilege on her son’s behalf despite repeatedly declaring on television that “no one is above the law.” What are some other ways in which Asunción’s real-life contrasts with the role she plays on television as Sunny? How do these contrasts highlight a larger problem that extends beyond Sunny to many others like her? Join the conversation and get answers to these questions and more on According2Sam episode #431.

]]>https://www.according2sam.com/p/forever-victimhttps://www.according2sam.com/p/forever-victimFri, 07 Aug 2026 23:27:55 GMTDon Lemon has been covering the Nolan Wells tragedy for five straight weeks, and it has been very lucrative for him. He has grown his YouTube audience to nearly 1.5 million subscribers, where he hosts a daily show that typically receives around 100,000 views per episode, plus additional views from clips of the show. He also has several paid advertisers whose products and services he promotes throughout each broadcast. He’s not the only person to profit from the Nolan Wells true crime drama over the past five weeks, but he is certainly among the top earners. This week, he featured a guest from Ocean Springs, Mississippi, where Nolan Wells lived. How did this guest threaten Lemon’s ability to continue profiting from the Nolan Wells tragedy? Join the conversation and get answers to this question and more on According2Sam episode #430.

]]>https://www.according2sam.com/p/shockedhttps://www.according2sam.com/p/shockedTue, 04 Aug 2026 02:49:38 GMTThe Marxist insurgency in the Democratic Party seems to be taking many Democrats by surprise, despite the fact that it has been building within their party for more than a decade. Marxists have had a home in the Democratic Party for many decades, but the push toward "Democratic Socialism" has been a major force in the party since Bernie Sanders's 2016 presidential campaign. Still, many Democrats are shocked that this movement has grown so influential within the party that its supporters are unseating powerful incumbents in the primaries and that much of the party's energy is now with the Marxists. What did these Democrats say when Republicans warned that socialism was on the rise during the Obama administration, and why are they singing a different tune now? Join the conversation and get answers to these questions and more on According2Sam episode #429.

]]>https://www.according2sam.com/p/ballot-harvestinghttps://www.according2sam.com/p/ballot-harvestingFri, 31 Jul 2026 23:48:03 GMTOne of the biggest criticisms of mail-in voting is ballot harvesting—the practice of collecting completed ballots from voters and delivering them to election officials by third parties rather than having voters return their ballots directly. Republicans have long criticized ballot harvesting. Following the 2020 election, many Republicans alleged that widespread illegal ballot harvesting affected the outcome, when mail-in voting increased due to the pandemic. Those allegations became the focus of Dinesh D’Souza’s 2022 documentary ‘2000 Mules’, which argued that organized ballot trafficking influenced the election. Democrats have discounted these accusations as ‘conspiracy theories’, but this week Republicans appeared to gain an unexpected ally in their criticism of ballot harvesting. Who was this unexpected ally, and how does his accusation of illicit ballot harvesting add credibility to the concerns Republicans have raised? Join the conversation and get answers to these questions and more on According2Sam episode #428.

]]>https://www.according2sam.com/p/slave-patrolshttps://www.according2sam.com/p/slave-patrolsTue, 28 Jul 2026 03:27:35 GMTSlave patrols played an important role in the Antebellum South. They were groups of armed men who monitored, controlled, and policed slaves while enforcing the system of slavery. One of their primary functions was to prevent slaves from escaping. They conducted patrols along rivers and in remote areas to stop escape attempts by boat or along less-traveled routes. If a slave did manage to escape, slave patrols were responsible for tracking them down and returning them to captivity. They also participated in the punishment of captured runaways, often through public acts of violence intended to deter others from attempting to escape. What is a modern-day equivalent to slave patrols, and how is it actively working to stop more black men from leaving the Democratic Party? Join the conversation and get answers to these questions and more on According2Sam episode #427.

]]>https://www.according2sam.com/p/agitatehttps://www.according2sam.com/p/agitateSat, 25 Jul 2026 03:10:03 GMTIt has been nearly a decade since Colin Kaepernick began sitting on the bench during the national anthem of NFL preseason games in 2016. That year was also an election year. As Kaepernick's protest evolved from sitting on the bench to kneeling on the sideline, the reasons behind the protest also started to change. Players on other teams joined him by kneeling during the anthem, and the demonstration quickly became a national topic of debate. Many everyday citizens posted photos of themselves kneeling on social media. The protest became increasingly controversial, with some viewing it as a stand against racial injustice, while others saw it as disrespectful to the flag and the military. As a result, the issue became deeply racial, and during a presidential election year, it also became a political issue. How was Kaepernick's protest co-opted and used by political actors to mobilize voters in the 2016 election? Join the conversation and get answers to this question and more on According2Sam episode #426.

]]>https://www.according2sam.com/p/socialist-democratshttps://www.according2sam.com/p/socialist-democratsTue, 21 Jul 2026 01:56:38 GMTThe rise of Marxist influence within the Democratic Party is not only threatening the party's chances of regaining power in this year's midterm elections, but it could also pose a broader challenge to its long-term unity. Several prominent moderates, including Bill Maher and Senator John Fetterman, have suggested that they would leave the party if the Marxists gained control of it. They are not the only centrist Democrats to express such concerns. Congressman Steve Cohen also left the Congressional Progressive Caucus after nearly half of House Democrats voted in favor of legislation that would end U.S. aid to Israel, an issue that has become a major priority for members of the party's left wing. What other policies supported by the Marxist Democrats are leading some moderates to question their future in the party? Join the conversation and get answers to this question and more on According2Sam episode #425.

]]>https://www.according2sam.com/p/foreign-and-domestichttps://www.according2sam.com/p/foreign-and-domesticFri, 17 Jul 2026 23:36:47 GMTThe phrase “against all enemies, foreign and domestic” appears in the oath of office taken by U.S. military personnel, federal employees, and members of Congress, committing them to defend the Constitution against threats from both outside and within the United States. Yet, as a nation, we tend to focus primarily on external enemies and foreign threats, while rarely considering the possibility of domestic threats to our way of life. When someone does raise concerns about a potential domestic threat, those concerns are often quickly dismissed as conspiracy theories. We assume that all serious threats come from abroad and that none exist at home. If that were truly the case, however, why does the oath require defending the Constitution against enemies who are domestic? Join the conversation and get answers to this question and more on According2Sam episode #424.

]]>https://www.according2sam.com/p/brothershttps://www.according2sam.com/p/brothersTue, 14 Jul 2026 01:46:27 GMTGeorge W. Bush has often referred to Bill Clinton as his brother—once even calling him “my brother from another mother.” George W. Bush has also said that his mother considered Clinton to be her fourth son. Barbara Bush herself once remarked in an interview that, because Clinton never knew his father, George H. W. Bush had become something of a surrogate father to him. There is no question that Bill Clinton and George H. W. Bush had a close relationship that transcended politics. However, if Bush truly became a father figure to Clinton, when did that paternal relationship begin? And — if Clinton regarded George H. W. Bush as a surrogate father, does that mean George H. W. Bush had two “sons” who became presidents of the United States in succession after himself? Join the conversation and get answers to these questions and more on According2Sam episode #423.

]]>https://www.according2sam.com/p/the-heelhttps://www.according2sam.com/p/the-heelFri, 10 Jul 2026 22:47:39 GMTIn professional wrestling, the ‘heel’ plays an essential role. The heel is the villain—the character the audience is meant to dislike and root against, in contrast to the hero. Although the heel and the hero cooperate behind the scenes to put on the match, the audience is expected to see them as genuine adversaries. The heel's job is twofold. First, he must make the audience despise him. The louder the boos and jeers, the more effectively he is performing his role. Second, he must make the audience love the hero. The more passionately the crowd cheers for the hero, the more successful the heel has been. In what ways is American politics like professional wrestling? Join the conversation and get answers to this question and more on According2Sam episode #422.

]]>https://www.according2sam.com/p/demoralizationhttps://www.according2sam.com/p/demoralizationMon, 06 Jul 2026 23:29:16 GMTCNN data analyst Harry Enten aired a segment on July 4, the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, examining polling on how proud Americans are of their country. The polling indicated that Democrats, particularly younger Democrats, are much less likely than Republicans to say they are proud of the United States. During the segment, Enten said that only 36% of Democrats described themselves as “extremely” or “very” proud to be American, compared with 92% of Republicans. What role, if any, does demoralization play in the lower levels of national pride reported among Democrats? Is it possible that Americans are being intentionally demoralized, and if so, by whom and for what purpose? Join the conversation and get answers to these questions and more on According2Sam episode #421.

]]>https://www.according2sam.com/p/marxism-crisishttps://www.according2sam.com/p/marxism-crisisTue, 30 Jun 2026 02:37:30 GMTMany establishment Democrats seem surprised that socialists are gaining influence within their party, as if they slept through the past decade and have only now woken up. In 2016, Bernie Sanders, a self-described democratic socialist, came close to winning the Democratic presidential nomination. Without the party’s superdelegate system and other actions by the DNC, he might have succeeded. In 2020, Sanders again emerged as a leading contender, but his rivals withdrew from the race and consolidated their support behind Joe Biden, effectively blocking Sanders’s path to the nomination. The rise socialism in the United States should not surprise anyone. The conditions have created an environment that is ideal for socialism. How did conditions in the United States become so conducive to the spread of socialism? Join the conversation and get answers to this question and more on According2Sam episode #420.

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