In times of national tragedy, can we resist the urge to turn our grief into political ammo? Sadly, our current leaders can't seem to find their better angels. So who's gonna do the right thing?
🧭 Episode Summary
Fair warning: Your trusty friend and host is a little hot under the collar on this one. We're addressing the aftermath of Charlie Kirk’s assassination and the toxic political blame game that followed. Corey dismantles the knee-jerk scapegoating by political leaders—particularly from the Trump administration—and calls for a return to civility, empathy, and individual responsibility.
Drawing inspiration from great American leaders such as Lincoln, Douglass, MLK, Reagan, and Jack Kemp, Corey urges listeners to rise above the “us vs. them” narrative and engage in meaningful conversations across ideological divides. This isn’t just a podcast—it’s a wake-up call for moral courage and collective healing.
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🕰️ Timestamps & Highlights
Time
Topic
00:00
🎙️ Introduction & what's bugging Corey today
01:30
⚖️ Criticism of current leadership’s divisive rhetoric post-tragedy
03:00
🔥 “They didn’t do it.” – the central thesis
05:30
🧠 Why scapegoating is dangerous and lazy
06:00
🗣️ Quotes from historical leaders on unity
08:00
🙌 Remembering real conservatism and integrity in leadership
10:00
💰 A quick word about sponsor: Meza Wealth Management
11:00
🧍♂️ One-on-one conversations > tribal politics
13:00
🧘 Rejecting polarization and choosing relationship over rage
15:00
❓ How to ask genuine questions without interrogating
17:00
✡️ Tikkun Olam – the Jewish concept of healing the world
18:00
🧭 Final thoughts: Courage, not cowardice, builds bridges
19:00
🙏 Outro: Feedback, Substack, YouTube, and a call to respectful conversation
💡 Key Takeaways
“They didn’t do it”: One person is responsible for a crime—not an entire political party or ideology.
Scapegoating is intellectually and morally lazy; real leadership seeks unity, not division.
History holds better role models: From Lincoln to Reagan, great leaders have called for reconciliation, not retaliation.
Genuine conversations with those who think differently are the antidote to political polarization.
Tikkun Olam: We each have a responsibility to repair the world—one action, one conversation at a time.
📢 Notable Quotes
🗨️ “Scapegoating is cowardice. It’s morally and intellectually lazy.”
🗨️ “They didn’t do it. An individual did.”
🗨️ “If grief morphs into blaming anyone who voted differently than you, that’s not mourning—that’s scapegoating.”
🗨️ “We are not enemies, but friends. We must not be enemies.” – Abraham Lincoln
🗨️ “Democracy without respect for the dignity of each individual is not democracy at all.” – Jack Kemp
🔗 Connect on Social Media:
Corey is @coreysnathan on...
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And we are proud members of The Democracy Group: democracygroup.org
Thanks for tuning in! Now go talk politics and religion—with gentleness and respect. 🎙️✨
