The Middle Ground Mic

About The Middle Ground Mic

The MiddleGround Mic is a centrist politics and news commentary podcast for independent voters, moderates, and anyone tired of partisan talking points. Hosted by Joseph Steagall, the show covers elections, foreign policy, Michigan and Detroit local politics, media accountability, and the economy — grounded in verifiable receipts instead of tribal loyalty. No Left. No Right. Forward.Ranked Top 30 in Politics (June 2026) with more than 1.3 million downloads, the show brings bipartisan analysis and long-form interviews with journalists, policymakers, foreign policy experts, candidates, and everyday people — not scripted talking heads. Recent conversations have covered Iran's nuclear program and the Strait of Hormuz, the Wayne County SMART bus millage, media trust and investigative journalism, election law and ballot access, and the collapse of institutional trust in America.Being centrist isn't fence-sitting. It's refusing to hand either party a free pass, and having the spine to say what the loudest voices on both ends won't. If you're an independent, a moderate, or just exhausted by the screaming, this is politics without the team jersey.Watch full video episodes on YouTube and Spotify. Support the show at https://www.buymeacoffee.com/tmgm. Subscribe, follow, and leave a rating — it's the biggest way new listeners find the show. No sacred cows protected. No side gets a free pass.

Publisher

Joseph Steagall

Category

news

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

31 Mar 2025

Latest episode

23 Sept 2026

Latest episodes

164 of 229 episodes have a transcript.

1. 

   23 Sept 2026TRANSCRIPT

   Anthony Forlini: Election Security, Voter Rolls & Trust in Michigan Government

   Macomb County Clerk Anthony Forlini and host Joseph Steagall discuss Michigan's election security, voter rolls, and government trust in this insightful interview.

2. 

   21 Sept 2026TRANSCRIPT

   Xi’s Washington Visit, Iran’s Pickaxe Mountain & the Risk of $7 Gas Ron bee

   Host Joseph connects geopolitical expert Ron Bee to explore how China's actions, Iran's nuclear program, and global energy markets influence everyday prices.

3. 

   16 Sept 2026TRANSCRIPT

   Can an Independent Beat the Machine? with Mike Thurow

   Host Joseph Steagall interviews former firefighter Mike Thurow about his independent congressional campaign and how to overcome corporate influence and party politics.

Inside a recent episode

Anthony Forlini: Election Security, Voter Rolls & Trust in Michigan Government

Published 23 Sept 2026 · Transcript excerpt

[…] Once you're served, it's The average is under 10 minutes you're out the door. We get compliments every day. They can't believe they took off a whole afternoon and they're in and out within 15 minutes. They were shocked. They've never seen government work like that. It's because we looked at what our clerks were doing at the counter, how they were doing it, what people came in for, what was holding up the process. And we changed it. We fixed it. We made it simpler. We made it streamlined. And that made a big impact. Here's the other thing. Voicemail. I think we all hate voicemail. I hate voicemail. […]

Who has been a guest on The Middle Ground Mic

Names identified in recent episode analyses. Showing up to five guests.

• Anthony Forlini
• Ron Bee
• Mike Thurow
• Pia Dandiya
• Krishna Kumaar Sharma

Reach and audience

Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.

YouTube views

54,914

Score snapshot 15 Sept 2025

Apple Podcasts (US)

4.9 / 5

218 ratings

Podcast Authority Score: 63 / 100

A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.

Quality

76

Social presence

0

YouTube

76

Engagement

50

Questions about The Middle Ground Mic