Welcome to RealPolitics
Charles De Gaulle once said, “I have come to the conclusion that politics is too serious a matter to be left to the politicians.”
Thus, RealPolitics and the RealPolitics Podcast exist.
This is a place for political discussion of all kinds — whether you’re liberal, conservative, libertarian, socialist, or anywhere in between, all opinions are welcome here.
The name “RealPolitics” is derived from the German term realpolitik, meaning “practical politics.” We like talking about actual solutions to political problems, big and small, from local government all the way to international relations. Our podcast covers politics through that lens, exploring the nuances of US and international politics with the guidance of our rotating panel of young analysts and commentators.
MANAGEMENT TEAM
Phil Hedayatnia
CEO/Editor-in-Chief
A serial entrepreneur, Phil founded his first company in the eighth grade and now serves as CEO and co-founder of GoForge, Inc., a developer hosting and machine learning startup based in Palo Alto, California. He also serves as President of the City Club of Cleveland’s Youth Council, managing public affairs and coordinating speakers’ forums featuring national leaders for broadcast on PBS, C-SPAN, NPR, and other networks. Phil studies cognitive science, business, and human-computer interaction at Rice University.
Oliver Trapp
Director of Collegiate Outreach
Oliver Trapp was born in the Dominican Republic and immigrated to the United States when he was eight. He is actively engaged in debate, lacrosse, and local politics. Yet, his passion dwells in the world of entrepreneurship. As the President/CEO of Clear Tank Investments, he has fostered the growth of a number of enterprises. Also, Oliver has a tendency to love the process of learning languages. He speaks four languages fluently and can read in two others. In his spare time, Oliver performs in a reggae band, participates in the foreign exchange market, and seeks adventure.
Biz Rasich
Managing Editor
Biz Rasich is a freshman at Rice University studying Policy Studies and English. She is the former three-year editor-in-chief of Deep Run High School’s literary magazine Incite Insight. She has been published in a variety of literary magazines and won first place nationally for literature in the Reflections competition. Over the summer she was an intern for the Democratic Party of Virginia, working for both field organizers and the regional press secretary. When she’s not crossing out commas or pestering writers about parallel structure, she enjoys listening to podcasts, researching for her novel, and singing loudly in the car.
Trent Kannegieter
Assistant Editor
Trent Kannegieter is a high school senior at Bayside Academy in Daphne, Alabama. He is the founder and captain of Bayside’s Speech and Debate Team, where his accolades include Champion Presiding Officer at the 2016 Tournament of Champions. His writing has been published everywhere from poetry literary magazines to the Millennial Institute for Political Awareness and Engagement. Trent is a five-time individual state tennis champion, as well as the former USTA Alabama Male Junior Player of the Year, and enjoys playing music, promoting intellectual curiosity in his community through Bayside Philosophy Club, and watching obscure standup comedy.
CONTRIBUTORS AND CREW
Sam Joyce / Hunter Frase / Ryan Love / Lew Blank / Leon Rotenstein / Ben Choi / Olaf van der Ween / Michael Hakes / Cory Ross / Minnie Mangafas / Jake D. Tibbetts / Adrian Lask / Sam Shaffer / Biz Rasich / Kirsten Pomales / Benjamin Burstein / Joe Bruner / Bryce Downing / Alec Kan / Andrew Demeter / Julia Lauer / Trent Kannegieter / Sydney McDonald / Matthew Gibson / Quinn Stewart / Katie Kong / Daniel Brazier / Will Mascaro / Misha Tseitlin / Taylor Bennington / Ethan Morelion / Shreetika Singh / Jake Dean / Mia AAssar / Lauren Good / Ryan Golden / Samhitha Sunkara / Zachary Williams / John Chen / Sarah Park / Julia Bittencourt / Amanda Cort / Gavin Riley / & many more…
