MOMocrats

MOMocrats Karoli, Aliza Worthington, and Donna Schwartz Mills are like most of the electorate: They're tired of a shutdown and "crisis on the border" that are entirely the making of Donald Trump, with help from cronies like Mitch McConnell (who could END the shutdown by allowing a vote on the bill to fund the government) and Lindsey Graham (who is now openly urging Trump to go full dictator and declare the wall funding a national emergency). The MOMocrats see the irony of Trump's declaration of a humanitarian crisis at the border, since it was created by his policies. And they will not forget all the times the president threatened a shutdown and claimed he would own it - despite the fact he now denies it. (Oh, and he also denies that he ever said that Mexico would pay for his stinking wall). When will the gaslighting end? We ponder that question in this week's podcast looking at the day's political news from the progressive point of view. An Engender Media Group production.

(NOTE: Today's MOMochat is NSFW, in the spirit of Rep. Rashida Tlaib's remarks about impeachment.)

Yesterday's historic start of the 116th Congress made MOMocrats Karoli, Aliza Worthington, and Donna Schwartz Mills a little teary, as Nancy Pelosi (aka NDP) took her oath surrounded by children who came to watch the historic proceedings. And then they got down to business, passing bills that echoed the one passed by the Senate before the holiday break, which would fund the government and end the shutdown -- bills that Mitch McConnell now refuses to bring up on the floor. The MOMocrats also talk about the rightwing's backfiring efforts to take down Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Rep. Tlaib's remarks about impeachment, and why "likability" is only ever a factor for female candidates. This week's political news from the progressive point of view. An Engender Media Group production.

The MOMocrats are still reeling from all the tumult of the last few days: a stock market tumble and indication of a slowing economy, a president's rash foreign policy decisions and the resignation of the Secretary of Defense, the president's about-turn on a budget deal which may lead to a government shutdown... and Ruth Bader Ginsburg's latest health crisis. MOMocrats Karoli, Aliza Worthington, and Donna Schwartz Mills may need to raise a glass of Christmas spirits to talk about it all in this week's politcal podcast from a progressive point of view. An Engender Media Group production.

The MOMOcrats look back at a week that was even more active than usual: From the sentencing memo to Michael Flynn to the three year sentence of Michael Cohen... to Nancy Pelosi's triumphant walk from the White House (and that fabulous burnt orange coat) - Karoli, Aliza Worthington, and Donna Schwartz Mills have an opinion. Other topics they discussed this week included the mystery of the missing funds from the Trump inauguration, the news media's insistence on covering politics like a horse race, and the new corroborated evidence that the president was an active participant n the hush money scheme that violated campaign finance laws. An Engender Media Group production.

With the midterms safely over, Robert Mueller's investigation is back in the spotlight. Last week's heavily redacted sentencing memo suggesting little to no jail time for Michael Flynn did reveal the stunning news that Trump's former national security advisor has been interviewed by investigators a whopping 19 times. Today may give us additional insights as Mueller meets a deadline for filings on Michael Cohen and Paul Manafort (whose sentencing deal was revoked last week for continuing to lie to investigators). Other topics discussed by MOMocrats Karoli, Aliza Worthington, and Donna Schwartz Mills include the news that John Kelly was interviewed by Mueller, today's nominations of William Barr as Attorney General and Heather Nauert to replace Nikki Haley as UN ambassador, and the ongoing election drama in North Carolina's 9th district. Politics from a progressive point of view produced by Engender Media Group.

If it seems like the Mueller investigation went dark for the midterm elections, this week was downright lit. MOMocrats Karoli, Aliza Worthington, and Donna Schwartz Mills discuss all the latest developments in this week's political podcast from the progressive point of view: the withdrawal of Paul Manafort's plea deal and the purported dangling of pardons, Michael Cohen's surprise plea yesterday with revelations that bring the inquiry closer to collusion with Russia... and news from today's G20 Summit. An Engender Media Group production.

Yes, the MOMocrats were appalled at the president's behavior in France last weekend, when he skipped the ceremonies commemorating the 100th anniversary of the World War I Armistice (which was the reason he went to France in the first place). They were angry at the White House's decision to yank Jim Acosta's press pass. And they are shaking their heads at the media's preferred narrative of "Democrats in disarray" as the campaign begins to elect a new House leader. But first, Karoli, Aliza Worthington, and Donna Schwartz Mills want to talk about the new Freshman House Democrats that met this week: the most diverse in the nation's history. Politics from a progressive point of view, produced by Engender Media Group.

Democrats haunted by the ghosts of 2016 were afraid to express too much optimism about the expected "Blue Wave" of yesterday's midterm election... and early last night, as some of the Democrats' most talented candidates came so very close to winning but did not manage to cross the finish line, many expressed dismay that the "wave" was barely a "ripple." But in the end, the polls were pretty accurate: The Senate map was not favorable to Democrats this year. But WE WON THE HOUSE, and the next Congress will have the most Democratic women and people of color in history (and perhaps a return of the most effective Speaker of the last century, Nancy Pelosi). MOMocrats Karoli, Aliza Worthington, and Donna Schwartz Mills discuss the historic gains and what it means for the next two years of Trump.

We interrupt this midterm election - the most important of the MOMocrats' lifetimes - to talk about the prolonged terrorist attack the nation endured this week, as bombs were mailed to just about everyone in the top tier of the Democratic party, including two former presidents and a vice president. The current occupant of the White House and his followers seemed to think that the whole thing was a distraction. The FBI and other officials involved in the suspect's arrest this morning say otherwise. MOMocrats Karoli, Aliza Worthington, and Donna Schwartz Mills recap the events of the week and look forward to the election on November 6 in this week's podcast discussing politics from the progressive point of view.

This week ends much the way the last one did, with the Senate on the verge of affirming Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court. The limited FBI investigation that Judiciary Committee Democrats fought so hard for turned out to be severely limited, to just nine witnesses that did not include Dr. Blasey Ford or Judge Kavanaugh. The agents were also restricted from asking questions about Kavanaugh's drinking in high school and college, habits that were directly related to the allegations against him. On top of that, the Republicans on the committee and the president set about smearing the women who brought up the allegations. But there were some bright spots, such as Senator Heidi Heitkamp's announcement that she is voting "no." MOMocrats Karoli, Aliza Worthington, and Donna Schwartz Mills discuss the week's political news from the progressive point of view. An Engender Media Group Production.