If it seems like the Biden administration is admitting to a lot of scary things they are almost certainly engaged in — most of them having to do with working with tech companies to “help” point out when users are engaged in wrongthink about the vaccination rollout or the pandemic — it’s because they are. And that’s weird, for sure. Coming out and admitting that socialism and communism are failed ideologies was certainly unexpected from an administration whose VP was encouraging people to help bail our Black Lives Matter protestors during the height of the 2020 Summer of Love. BLM is pretty openly Marxist so…again, weird.

But there’s a pretty good reason for it, I think. It has to do with wanting to shift attention away from some of the things the Biden admininstration, and progressives in general, would prefer people not focus on — the election audits happening around the country, particularly the ones in Georgia and Arizona, for example. Because although progressives and Democrats admitted to “fortifying” the election in that now-infamous TIME Magazine article, they don’t want to talk about it. And they certainly don’t want to talk about it in terms laid out by their Republican opponents.

So there’s a lot of scary rhetoric floating around in an attempt to shift conversation away from more unsavory topics. But make no mistake: it’s likely not just rhetoric. The Biden administration is very probably doing everything they’re admitting regarding Facebook and the telecom companies. Josh Hawley is right to suggest those things are like something out of Beijing (this article, and you should take it with a heavy grain of salt since I can’t vouch for the publication, explains how China uses social media offering proof that Hawley’s concerns are well-founded). It’s just strange to hear government cop to their overreach. It’s also ultimately probably good. Condemning communism should always be embraced, even if it’s a bit late in the game. And spilling the beans on social media monitoring is good information for a population starving for truth.

But it does heighten the anxiety doesn’t it? I can’t help but feel like that’s partially the goal.

I talk about all that today, as well as offer thoughts on the charming “Virgin River” (trailer below) and the downright dunderheadedness of actor David Harbour.

Come go with me.

The show lives on Spotify and you can also find me at iHeartRadio, Apple Podcasts, FCB Radio’s Spreaker, and Deezer.